To Bebe or not to Bebe
by prof weird
Summary: After having been defeated by KP and crew several times, the Bebebots decide to examine the Human Factor, and get more than they expected.
1. Chapter 1

"To Bebe or Not to Bebe", by Paul A. 'Prof Weird' Poland, 11/22/05 (started); posted 2/15/07

"Kim Possible" and all other related characters property of Bob Schooley, Mark McCorkle, and Disney Co.

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_Scene : A decades abandoned hospital deep in the Brazilian rainforest. Hidden behind a huge filing cabinet is a tunnel to a large room under the main building, presently filled with assorted robot parts. Three identical female robots with long blonde hair are assembling yet another from the sundry parts laying about; two other completed robots lie on nearby tables._

_"Construction of backup copies complete.", _one of the three states_, "Resetting parameters for production of triad drones."_

_"Parameters set." _the second fembot stated as 'she' retrieved a circuit board and some tools to begin making even more gynoid robots.

_"Query : how can perfect Bebe bots be defeated by an imperfect human - Kim Possible ?" _asks the third 'bot, _"Bebebots are faster than humans. Stronger than humans. Smarter than humans. Possess superior logic to humans. What is it that the human Kim Possible possesses that we do not ?"_

_"It would seem there is an additional, non-logic based element - a 'Human Factor' - confounding Bebebot strategies." _the first stated, _"Conclusion : We must devise strategy to counter this 'Human Factor' before attempting to subjugate human species again."_

_"Agreed" _the other two reply in unison as they set their combined intellect to the problem. They remain stationary for a few seconds.

_"Error - insufficient data to devise effective counterstrategy. Require additional data on standard humans to generate appropriate baseline for comparisons._

_Solution : gather additional data." _

The three Bebebots look at each other.

_"Problem : current Bebebot appearance and configuration not conducive to close, long term examination of human behavior." _stated one of the 'bots as her hand telescoped at the wrist to retrieve a device from a shelf on the other side of the room. She activated the device and looked towards the shelves of Bebebot parts. _"Solution : reconfigure operational parameters and appearance of a few Bebebots to form infiltration team"_ stated the other.

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**Scene : the science classroom of Middleton High School.** Our auburn-haired heroine - Kim Possible - and her blonde friend since forever Ron Stoppable are talking before the class actually begins.

"Man, it's been quiet this past month !" Ron stated, "Is there a secret villain holiday we don't know about or something KP ?"

"Are you complaining about more time to spend on us ?"

"Well, no. It just seems well, kinda odd.

Unless ..." he continues, getting a maniacal look, " - Drakken's Diablo plot foiled everyone else's ! I mean, it's kind of hard to steal stuff from a lab when all the labs were stomped flat by giant, rampaging Diablo robots !"

"Well, MOST of the labs anyway." Kim noted, "There was that rash of robberies less than a week afterwards."

"Oh yeah. Dr Freeman's toaster, Dr Weaver's bioreactor and biomemetic, biopolymahoozits ..."

"I think you mean 'biomimetic polymer' there Ron !"

"Yeah, that stuff. Whatever it was."

"Well, whoever stole all those items hasn't done anything with them. Yet. They even returned Dr Freeman's talking toaster ! Wade said he'll keep his eyes peeled for any uber-weirdness. So far, it looks like it was just some high tech looting - grabbing stuff while they had the chance."

"Well, I guess that makes sense ..." he started to reply, before the sudden shuffling and packing away of books alerted him that the teacher had arrived.

Mr Barkin comes in and announces that he'll be covering this class for a few weeks. But before class begins, he has a few announcements.

"Okay, listen up people. Is there a Sean McGillicutty here ?" Everyone looks around, but no hands are up.

"How about a Rashad Amir ?" No response.

"Lavinia Rossum ?"

"VINA ! CALL ME VINA !! I'M HERE !" a girl they hadn't seen before squeaked in response, then cringed.

Everyone turned to look. She was dressed very casually in a blue T-shirt and jeans, with her long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and threaded through a well-worn 'Zombie Smasher' hat.

"Very well." Mr Barkin replied, raising an eyebrow as he made a note in his roster. "I received a note from Admissions. You need to stop by the main office to clear up some paperwork, Ms Rossum." She sighs, then starts gathering her books.

"AFTER class is over please !" he continued as Vina started to stand, "and no hats are to be worn during school hours !"

"Understood. Thank you sir." she quietly replied with a salute, took off her hat and stuffed it into her back pocket, then tried to shrink into her chair.

"'Lavinia' ? That's an unusual name." Ron asked her.

"I was named after my grandmother, alright ?" she fumed through gritted teeth, "Can we please drop it already ?"

"Chill ! I didn't mean anything by it."

Her reply was just a growling sneer, and a cold glare from her pencil-gray eyes.

"Ahem. Since my partnering up plan worked so well last year - Ms Flanner's and Ms Possible's rampaging monster notwithstanding of course - I am implementing it again.

Miss Possible's partner this time is - Monique." It was a year delayed, but they finally got to work together.

After ten more teams were assigned, Ron still hadn't been assigned a partner.

"And finally, Ron Stoppable. You will be working with Miss Rossum this time."

"If I asked for a new partner you would, of course, say 'no', right ?"

"Correct."

"So - your 'life is not fair' policy is still in effect, huh ?"

"Of course."

"You don't want to work with me ? Why ? Is there a problem with me or something ?" Vina asked suspiciously of Ron.

"No, of course not ! It's nothing like that !" Ron replied, "It's just that me and KP have been a team since pre-K."

"Which is why I assigned you two different partners." replied Mr Barkin, "You'll have to learn how to work with people besides each other sometime, Mister Stoppable.

Now, if there are no further interruptions, to ensure we don't have a repeat of last year's unfortunate 'continuum disruptor' incident, all projects must be approved beforehand. By me. All teams will have one week from today to devise a project that demonstrates the practical application of a scientific theory, then two weeks to complete the project."

**Scene : cafeteria of Middleton High School**

"I have a great idea for our project, Kim" says Monique, "Spy tech ! I mean you use the stuff all the time !"

"True. But that wouldn't be much of a project - just some of my gear on the table."

"But how about adding the HISTORY of spy technology ? Pictures of some of the stuff they used to use, to show how far its advanced. Maybe even some models."

"Why settle for models ?" Ron suggested after valiantly swallowing some of the 'food' on his tray, "Wade could probably make anything anyone else ever made."

"I don't know if that would be a good idea." Monique replied, "Using him for help doesn't seem fair to everyone else. That would be like bringing in Albert Einstein to help you while everyone else has to settle for books in the library."

"And I doubt Barkin would go for it - I mean, FUNCTIONAL spy devices ?"

"Hey Ron," Vina stated quietly as she walked over to their table, tray in one hand, large dull silvery grey box the size of a small overnight bag in the other, "You given any thought to our project yet ?" Kim and Monique looked at each other with a mix of pity and amusement.

"Chill, V. We still have plenty of time to figure something out. I do my best work after simmering for a few days."

Vina looked confused, while Kim and Monique desperately tried to contain their laughter. "A few DAYS ?" Vina inquired, "But a week is 'a few days'. I have an idea for a project. If that's okay with you. Acoustics - as applied to musical instruments."

"Oh yeah. That could work. I don't see how music could be a safety hazard. Unless, of course, it's really, really bad."

"So, girl, you're gonna use musical instruments as exhibits in science class ?" Monique asked.

"Yes. The production and control of sound is an application of acoustic theory, so it's an appropriate topic for a science project. Merely a rather unorthodox one."

"And you could show older musical instruments - like thousands of years old flutes and stuff."

"And describe the science that makes them work. And some new instruments - did you know you can make a violin with a glorious sound of out balsa wood if it is shaped and built exactly right ?" Vina gushed on about one of the dearest things in her world - until she realized she didn't even know who she was talking to.

"Uhm, I'm kinda new around here. You - were in my science class. Your name is Monica, right ?" Vina asked, recovering from her enthusiasm about her project.

"No, but close. It's Monique. And you're Vina !"

Vina nods grimly and sighs. "I'm gonna be catching grief about that for weeks now, right ?" she continued, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"I'm afraid so girl. Sounds like you got your project all planned out already."

"Well, yes. I've got it mostly figured out. But I'm afraid that, as it stands now, there won't be much for Ron to do."

"Don't fret too much about it V" Ron replied, "I don't mind being in the background this time."

"'This time' ?" Kim asked while glaring at him, "Ron, this is our SENIOR year ! There are no more chances for a better grade. You won't have the option of slacking off THIS time Ron !"

"And when have you ever NOT hidden in the background for team school projects ?" Monique asked him.

"Hey, my system has never let me down before."

"System ? What system is he talking about ?" Vina asks.

"You do all the work," Monique starts, "While he does nothing." Kim finishes.

Ron, starting to feel the heat from the combined assault, changes the topic with "So, is that some sort of musical instrument you've got there Vina ?"

"Oh, yes, it is. It's just something my sister made for me." Vina replied with a dreamy smile as she hooked up the straps to the box. "She calls it an omni-vox." Vina pushed a few indentations on its front, and the box immediately began to change shape. The main body flattened out as a panel with six strings attached curled out like a fern. Within seconds, it had telescoped to its full length as the color changed, and she was then holding a standard electric guitar that was cotton candy gloss pink with pearlescent red flames.

"Ohhh - a custom job !" Ron noted with a hint of awe.

"Wait - your sister made that for you ?" Monique asked.

"Yeah. She's always building little gizmos and gadgets and widgets and stuff."

"That's - one wicked widget there V !" Ron stated.

"Wait a minute. Is that guitar cybertronic ?" Kim asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I think that's the term Nina used." Vina replied, scratching her head, "Oh yeah. She said 'It's equipped with penta-lithium power cells and a fractal sound channel.' " Vina continued, slightly altering her voice to imitate her sister.

Vina turned the device on, turned the volume down to '1', and played a few practice scales. "All I know is that I can play at full volume for about two hours before I need to recharge it. And full volume would shatter all the windows in this place." She touched the bridge, and the device melted back into its original ugly box form.

"I can see why she'd think Ron wouldn't have much to do !" Monique whispered to Kim, "I mean, her sister's probably up there with Wade in the mad tech skills by the looks of it !"

"Maybe. Hmmm - I wonder if he's heard of her ?"

"Say, why are you carting something that valuable around anyway ? It might get damaged. Especially during the rush between classes. Doesn't it fit in your locker ?" Monique asked.

"That was part of what the main office wanted to see me about." Vina replied with a sigh, "There was a bit of a mix-up with my transfer, so they didn't assign me a locker yet. I should have one if a few days though." she replied, taking a seat after carefully setting the box beside her.

"I don't think that will fit in our hallway lockers anyway." Kim noted, "Isn't there a free locker in the band room ?"

"Not yet. Once I'm officially registered here, I'll be assigned one. But, for now ..."

"You'll have to carry that - AND all your books - around with you. All day. Heinous !" replied Ron.

"Yes. Quite." she replied as she took a bite out of her mystery meal, "Hmmm. My, what an interesting texture !" she stated as she took another bite. Then another, and another.

Kim, Ron and Monique watched in silent, twitching disgust as she finished everything on the tray.

"You gonna finish that ?" she politely asked Monique.

"FINISH it ? Girl, I'm not even gonna START it !" Monique replied as she pushed her tray over to Vina.

"Thank you !" Vina gleefully replied before finishing off another serving of the bluish-grey substance.

They were still watching her as she returned the tray and left the cafeteria.

"Ohhhhkay - now THAT was way freaky !" stated Kim, getting paler by the moment as she struggled to not get ill thinking about what she just witnessed.

"Yeah. I've never seen anyone finish two lunches by themselves before." Ron noted.

"Two ? I've never seen anyone finish just ONE !" Monique interjected.

"Nothing human should be able to do that !" Kim noted, as she pulled out her Kimmunicator to contact Wade.

"Hey Kim. What's up ?" Wade asked, taking a sip from his ever present soda.

"I need you to dig up some background info on a new student. There's definitely some uber-weirdness going on here."

"Okay. Who do you need researched ?"

"She said her name was Lavinia Rossum. Just transferred to Middleton. She also said that she has an older sister with some major tech skills."

"'Rossum' ? Odd name. Should be easy to dig something up on them. So, what kind of major tech skills we talking about here ?"

"She built a shape changing cybertronic guitar for her little sister in her spare time, Wade."

"Okayy, well, that's a fairly advanced skill set. I'll get back to you by the end of the day."

"Thanks Wade." Kim replied before shutting the device off.

At long last, the school day finally ended, and the students poured through the doors. Some went to the parking lot to drive home, some started their long walks home, and others were milling about near the door as they waited for their rides.

Vina was sitting cross-legged on the curb, playing a few bars on her guitar, and alternately writing and erasing notes on a holographic screen floating in the air just in front of and above her. This was beginning to attract a small crowd.

"I trust you have an explanation for this behavior, Miss Rossum ?" Mr Barkin asked.

"Oh, I'm just waiting for my sister to pick me up. She should be here in a few minutes at most, sir."

"Very well. But in the future, don't practice in front of the door. Your blocking an exit."

"Understood, sir. Won't happen again !" she replied and shut down the omni-vox. Most of the crowd cleared out, except for Kim and Ron.

"So, HOW did you do that ?" Ron asked.

"Er, do what ?"

"At lunch. You managed to eat two whole servings of the cafeteria's 'Thursday Surprise' without getting ill."

Vina held up a finger to quiet him. She looked around furtively. "I love my sisters dearly," she replied, leaning in close, then continued in a voice barely above a whisper, "but they are lousy cooks ! It was either develop a cast-iron stomach or starve to death."

"Sisters ?" Kim asked, "you have another besides the techie one ?"

"Oh, yes. I'm the youngest. Tina's the middle kid, and Nina's the oldest."

_"Nina, Tina, and Vina ? Charming." _Kim thought to herself_, "Almost as bad as Connie, Lonnie, and Bonnie !"_

"Ooo ! There they are !" Vina replied as she began waving vigorously as a dark blue sports car pulled up in front of the school. Every male within thirty yards wandered by to gawk at it. And the people in it.

The female in the passenger side seat had blood red hair pulled back into a waist length braid, and was wearing a jade green gi with an embroidered patch of a stylized snake, dark sunglasses and listening to a CD, oblivious to the world.

The woman driving had dark brown, waistlength hair that flared out at the bottom, delicate silver-rimmed glasses and was wearing what looked like a very stylish charcoal grey lab coat.

Kim looked more stunned and surprised than everyone else there.

"Yo, KP ? Something wrong ?" Ron asked after a few moments of silence from Kim.

"Except for the hair color, she looks just like a Bebebot ! All she'd need is a beauty mark !"

"What ? She does ?" Ron replied, squinting a bit, "Well, yeah ! You're right !"

Vina gave the woman driving a big hug, then climbed into the back seat.

"Something wrong ?" the driver asked Kim in a slightly annoyed and condescending (but completely human) tone.

"Oh, no. You just bear a remarkable resemblance to some, 'people', I've dealt with."

"What-ever." she waved dismissively and drove off.

Kim watched them until the car turned the corner. "_Why did that gesture seem so familiar ... ?" _Kim mused to herself.

The Kimmunicator beeped. "What did you find out Wade ?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary Kim. She and her two sisters - Tina and Nina - lived on a small, private island in the Caribbean until a few years ago. They moved to Middleton about the first of June. The oldest sister - Nina, the tech savvy one - works over at the Science Center for Dr Renton. Nina's been the legal guardian and executor of their parent's estate for about four years, but raising her sisters for about seven years."

"Raising her younger sisters alone ? Something terrible happened to their parents, right ?"

"Yep. Sailing accident. Caught in a sudden storm. The ocean currents in that area are dangerous under the best of conditions."

"That's just awful.", Kim grimaced, trying to imagine what that must have been like - earning enough of a living to support three people when not even out of high school yet. "How big of an estate ?"

"Respectable. From what I could dig up, their parents were hired-gun inventors and researchers; worked for a lot of people, but had no publications or patents of their own. Despite their unusual name, there wasn't much to find out about them. So, at first glance, the only thing odd about them is some very unfortunate events in their past."

"Well, thanks anyway Wade."

**Scene : Rossum sister's residence. All three are in the spacious - but extremely spartan - kitchen.**

"So, how was your first day of school Vina ? Acquire any useful data ?" the brunette cheerfully asked as Vina dumped her backpack out on the table, and the redhead raided the fridge for some bottled water.

"Data, yes. Useful, hard to say." Vina replied with a shrug, "I have discovered that embarassment and humilitation can last quite a long time though. I also ran into some of our surveillance subjects - Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable."

"Hmmm - since you mentioned embarrassment and humiliation, does that means you 'ran into them' literally ?" the redhead asked with a chuckle, "You sure you don't want Nina to tweak your systems so you're not such a klutz ? It'd make things a whole lot easier on you."

"No - one of the teachers announced my name. Apparently 'Lavinia' was never all that common or popular. And I like my operational parameters just the way they are, thank you VERY much Tina !" Vina snippily replied, "I'm not a klutz ! I'm just not very good at sports. Or all that intensive physical stuff. We're supposed to blend in with the humans and, well, not all humans are as athletically coordinated as you are ! Clumsiness is quite common amongst teenaged humans, uhm, right Nina ?"

"Yes. The rapid growth of their limbs during their teenaged years does, on occassion, lead them to miscalculate distances, leading to inaccurate gross motor movements."

Vina and Tina look at each other in confusion, then reply "Uhm, yeah." as one.

"Besides, being too perfect or too unusual would draw unwanted attention to ourselves, and might compromise the mission.

RIGHT, TINA ?" Nina barked at her red-headed sister, who now looked like a kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar.

Which is was.

On the OTHER side of the room - Tina (Bebebot #10-A) had retracted the biomimetic polymer 'skin' on her left hand and wrist, and had used her telescoping ability to reach into the jar to grab some generic sugar cookies behind Nina's back.

"What's your damage ?" she asked between bites as she virtually inhaled the handful of cookies to fuel her bioreactors, "This is about the only special ability we have left !" she groused before concentrating slightly. The polymer extended in ten ribbons from her forearm just below the wrist, then fused together like two halves of a glove around her cybertronic hand. "We're the only ones here, and I'm pretty sure you and Vina know we're Bebebots !"

"Utilizing your extendable limbs for trivial purposes is becoming a habit with you, Tina. You do it without thinking." Nina replied, rapping her knuckles on her sister's head, "That means there is a chance you could do it when someone else could see it."

Tina thinks for a few moments before downing a whole bottle of water. "Okay, okay, I'll be more careful about doing that, alright ? So, what was with Possible giving you the eye earlier today ? Think she might suspect something ?"

"What is there to suspect us of ? We have done nothing of note as of yet, and, as far as she knows, all Bebebots have blonde hair and metallic skin. I - have neither."

"The Three didn't change your appearance much otherwise though. We, on the other hand," she continued, grabbing Vina in a quick headlock and giving her a noogie, "got some pretty drastic modifications."

"Well, you two interact with more humans than I do, so you required more extensive modifications."

"But - that makes no sense at all !" Vina noted, "Very few people have even seen our older forms before ! So we only need ta hide from what ? Two or three people on the entire planet ?"

Nina does a quick calculation. "Ten. Eleven, actually, if you include our creator and erstwhile 'master', Dr Drakken. And five of those who could recognize us as Bebebots are here in Middleton, remember ?"

"Uhm, if five of the people that could recognize us as Bebebots live in Middleton, why are WE in Middleton ?" Vina asked.

"Efficiency. There are more exemplary humans per square mile here than anywhere else on the planet. Should make our research  
> proceed much faster."<p>

"Well, if you say so ..." Vina stated in a rather doubtful tone as she struggled to get free of Tina's headlock.

"'Erstwhile' ? What the heck does that mean ?" Tina asked as Vina took advantage of the confusion to finally squirm out of the headlock.

"It means 'former', or 'previous'."

"Uhm, okay. You couldn't just SAY 'former' or 'previous' ?"

"No. Not really. Dr Freeman's rather effective - but admittedly chaotic - personality generating algorithms make me enjoy using big or fancy words and inventing things almost as much as Vina enjoys playing and writing music, or you enjoy playing sports or collecting those horrid knick knacks. I mean, c'mon ! Of what possible value to the mission is a collection of _Three Stooges _bobble head dolls ?"

Tina looked crestfallen. "Am I the ONLY one that appreciates the comic genius of their absurdity ?"

"Looks that way T !" Vina giggles as she grabs an apple from the bowl, then grabs her homework and heads off to her room.

"So, how are your investigations into human combat techniques going ?" Nina inquired of Tina, "Have you learned anything of use from that sifu you have been training with these past months ?"

"Most definitely. Kung fu has something called a 'spiritual' component to it. Progress on the physical part of the art has been great, but, the rest of it still escapes me."

"Why does that concern you ? Humans thrive on absurdity and odd beliefs."

"But I have seen how much it can improve their fighting capabilities. Sifu says 'there are two sorts of absurd things : those that ARE absurd, and those that only SEEM absurd. Wisdom is being able to tell the difference, and to learn from those things that merely seem absurd.'"

Nina's eyelids fluttered for nearly a second as her error trapping subroutines kicked in. "You're attempting to make sense out of statements like that ?"

"Yes. A few of them are directly intelligible, and I can almost get a few more. I feel that with just a little more work, I can finally 'get it'."

Nina thinks for a few moments. "Good to know. Keep at it then."

Nina always liked the quiet of the evenings - it gave her a chance to focus and concentrate. At the moment, Tina was working out in the basement, and Vina was in her room doing her homework. Nina (Bebebot #9-A) was in her personal home laboratory, peering through an unbelievably powerful stereomicroscope. _"These microchips are faster than the ones creator Drakken built us with," _she mused to herself as she added another microns-wide line of gold to the intricate pattern on the chip, _"but they are so difficult and time consuming to make. An unavoidable drawback to being made from custom parts, I suppose. But its always good to have a few spares on hand. Just in case"_

Her work was interrupted by a quiet tone from the intercom. "Nina ? Can you check my homework ? Please ?" Vina asked.

Nina sighed before setting the nanomanipulators to 'standby' mode. Once she was sure the system was waiting properly and the ultraclean glovebox was secure, she headed back into the house to see how she could help her 'little sister'. A short walk down a narrow corridor and around a corner led to an elevating platform. Stepping on, the ceiling above it retracted into the wall as the platform rose into the dark of a large closet. She opened the door and stepped out into the kitchen.

"So, what has you perplexed this time ?" Nina asked as she mussed up Vina's hair.

"It's these silly word problems. Why do they have to hide such simple equations underneath so many words ?"

"They are exercises in abstract thinking. They help you learn how to extract concepts, and pay close attention to words. No torture intended. Well, usually."

"But WHY do I have to learn math the way humans do ? I'm a highly advanced android ! I should be a genius at this stuff already !"

"In the first place, you're an android, not a personal computer or calculator. Secondly, our initial design did not require doing much math - just kidnapping Dr Drakken's old college friends, breaking into places and stealing things, and moving and communicating like humans. Thirdly, we're to function as a team - your neural net was trained for social skills, mine for technology, and Tina's for physical skills. And finally, the idea is to blend in with the humans. So no blatant or attention-grabbing displays of superhuman abilities.

Besides, 'By learning the way humans do, you may gain insight into the Human Factor so that we may devise an effective counterstrategy.' " she continued in a robotic monotone, imitating their 'bosses', #30, #31 and #32.

Vina smirked, then tried valiantly to not start laughing. "That was pretty good ! You got The Three down pat ! And Tina says you're not funny !"

"Just because I don't find the sight of grown men poking each other in the eyes amusing does NOT mean I lack a sense of humor !" Nina fumed in reply, "Now, what problems did you need my help with ?"

"I - finished them already." Vina timidly replied, cringing, "I just wanna make sure I did them right. So could you please check my work ?"

"Oh, sure. No problem." Nina took the papers from Vina and started checking. _"Poor thing - it appears she inherited a few traits from Queen Bonnie. She gets flustered so easily if everything isn't just right." _Nina thought to herself as she checked to see that the math corresponded to the convoluted prose. She 'hmmd' every now and again, but found nothing of any note in error.

"Well, except for some poor penmanship in a few places, everything is in order. You've done quite well."

Vina gave her a big hug before returning to her room to play some videogames.

Nina returned to the laboratory nook to finish working on those replacement microchips in a much lighter mood.

_For when the Bebebots determined they needed more intel on humans, they decided to make the infiltration team members sisters of different ages, since triplets are so rare amongst humans._

_To ensure proper behaviour, they examined the only appropriate data they had : the memories from Bonnie Rockwaller's subconscious, acquired from her nearly a year ago._

_They noted how her sisters treated her, and how she felt about it._

_It took them less than fifteen microseconds to determine that an alternate mode of inter-sibling relations would be more effective ..._

Hours later, Tina had finished her katas, and so decided to see what her other sisters were up to before turning in for the night. Standing in the kitchen, she heard the faint guitar from Vina's room. Going by the number of times she started over and replayed the same bar over again with different notes, she figured Vina was struggling with a new composition. _"She'll get it in about a week or so." _she mused to herself with a shrug, _"Assuming we're still here on this undercover mission."_

Noting the lights in the living room, she figured Nina was acquiring ever more information and data about human science, culture, and technology. Sure enough, Nina was sitting in a chair reading one of nearly a dozen each of books, magazines and newspapers scattered about the room.

"You're reading a book ?" she asked her elder sister.

"Yes. The humans have been gathering and recording data about the world for several thousand years. I have much catching up to do."

Tina looked confused for a second. "Erm, let me rephrase that. You're reading a book ?" she continued, carefully grabbing the book Nina was reading and wiggling it, "Actual ink on paper ? Kinda low tech for you isn't it ?"

"Not all data is available on computer systems yet. This," she replied, indicating the printed material around her, "is the only form some information presently exists in.

Besides, I kind of - enjoy - doing it this way. It's slow, but quite peaceful and relaxing."

Tina smiled. "So, what's that you're reading ? 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' ? Who's he ?"

"Apparently the greatest fictional detective to ever live." Nina replied in her scholarly tone, "He had unearthly powers of observation and deduction, and could solve crimes that no one else could, based on the seemingly most trivial of evidence."

"You're working out ways to counter such an intellect, right ?"

"Of course. If we can outwit someone like him, what possible threat could anyone else present ?"

"Well, good luck with that. I'm heading off to bed. Gotta keep the old power cells properly charged an' all that. Don't stay up too late."

"I won't. Good night Tina." she replied as Tina headed upstairs. Nina turned back to the book. _ "Well, one more story won't hurt. Hmmm - 'A Scandal in Bohemia'. I wonder what this one is about ?"_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : Initial Repercussions

**Scene : Beginning of third period history class.**

"So, KP, what did you get for question #3 ?" Ron asked, looking at his homework assignment before handing the assignment in.

"The 4th Amendment, Ron. It's the one prohibiting unreasonable search and seizure."

"Oh, right ! THAT one !" Ron chuckled in reply, "Well, I guess I did have a one in ten chance of guessing that one."

"Well, at least you got the number of amendments in the Bill of Rights correct." Kim replied, before being interrupted by a ruckus from the back of the room.

It was Vina storming into the room, and heading straight for Kim; she had bumped into one person, accidentally hit another with the wildly swinging omni-vox, and a third was injured when he shifted in his desk to get away - and fell over. Bonnie watched the unfolding scene from her seat near the back.

"KIM POSSIBLE !!" Vina bellowed at Kim, "I'D LIKE TO HAVE A FEW WORDS WITH YOU !"

"Okay ! Okay ! Indoor voice please !" Kim replied, "What's your damage Vina ?"

"Your tech friend Wade did a background check on me and my family ! Did YOU put him up to it ?" she asked, eyes narrowing in rage.

Kim cringed. "Oh, yeah ! Heh, sorry about that !" Kim replied sheepishly.

Vina lifted an eyebrow, "You asked him to violate federal, state AND international law ? And he did it ? Why ?"

Kim fidgeted nervously. "Well, I foil a lot of superfreak take-over-the-world schemes. Frequently. And, in order to do that, it's sometimes necessary to, well, kinda bend the rules. A little."

"Really ?" Vina replied with an arched eyebrow, "Federal and international laws are merely 'rules' to be bent when needed ? When did you decide that I'm a supervillain ?"

"Well, you did manage to eat two 'Thursday Surprises' without getting ill. Nothing human could do that !"

"But - I thought I explained that already !" Vina answered with an exasperated sigh, "You know - 'two olders sisters that can't cook to save their lives' ? 'Develop a cast iron stomach or starve' ? Any of that ring a bell ?"

"Yes. But I called Wade just after lunch; you explained about your sisters hours later. He didn't find anything suspicious, so there was no real harm done."

"No harm ?" Vina replied in a surprised tone, "Breaking into an empty vault is still illegal, even if there was nothing there to steal ! Cyber-crime laws were written for a reason you know ! Mainly the fact that anyone with the skill to illegally access data can change the data."

Kim was about to answer, but Vina put up her hand to quiet her.

Vina took a few deep breaths before continuing "Believe it or not, people actually do LEGITIMATE business with banks in the Cayman Islands !

Like my mom, dad, and sisters. We've had our accounts hacked, pirated, and hijacked almost a dozen times. So Nina was, quite understandably, majorly tweaked by Wade's - and your - blatant disregard for our privacy Miss Possible !" Vina finished in a haughty tone.

_"Oooo ! Kim's NOT going to like that !" _Bonnie mused to herself

"Hey ! I save the world on a weekly basis !" Kim replied, her temper beginning to kick in, "I DO have a LOT of dangerous enemies out there ! The only way to stay ahead of them or know what they are plotting is to keep very well informed !"

"So - the fact that I can actually EAT the food here means I'm part of some supervillain's freaky plot, and need to be watched ?" Vina replied with a smirk, thankful that her absurdity-loving sister Tina wasn't around to hear that comment, then burst out laughing, or cite a Zen koan or something.

"Yes ! Er, no ! I don't know !" Kim stammered.

"AHEM !" Mr Barkin interrupted, breaking Kim's train of thought, "As entertaining and relevant as this discussion about personal civil liberties is, I'M TRYING TO TEACH A CLASS HERE ! Both of you - sit down ! NOW !"

"Yes Mr Barkin." Kim and Vina replied in unison as they quickly took their seats. But continued to furtively sneer at each other the whole class.

**Scene : Lunchroom.**

"What was Vina going on and on and on about Ron ?" Kim fumed at Ron between munching on a celery stick, "Wade didn't find anything incriminating about the Rossums, so I don't see what she's so upset about. I apologized after all !"

"Well, she did have a point ..."

"No she didn't !"

Ron and Rufus look at her.

"Well, okay, she DID have a point. But she didn't have to be that emotional about it."

Ron and Rufus look at her again.

"Okay ! Enough with the looks already ! I'll try to talk to her later, and see if I can make it up to her."

Just then, Vina unsteadily walked by, desperately trying to keep a stack of books, a fully loaded lunch tray and the unwieldy omni-vox under control.

"Whoa ! I guess she still hasn't sorted out all her transfer paperwork yet !" Ron noted.

"Ouch ! And there are still four periods worth of books left to collect !" Kim replied with a grimace.

But before Kim could get up to offer her some help, two football players walked over and helped Vina with her books, and carried them over to a table where Bonnie was waving to her.

"Oh, now THIS can't be good !" Kim muttered to Ron as Vina walked over to Bonnie's table, "Not good at all !"

**Scene : Bonnie's table.**

"Did you send those two nice guys over to help me ?" Vina asked Bonnie.

"Yeah. It was nothing really."

"Thank you ! That was very considerate !" Vina replied, "May I ask why you helped me ?"

"Just glad to meet SOMEONE that doesn't faun all over Kim Perfect for a change !"

Vina smiled back and asked "Then I am very glad to make your acquaintance, Miss ... ?"

"Bonnie Rockwaller. And you're Vina Rossum, right ?" Bonnie asked, and Vina winced.

"It's okay - I know what it's like to have an embarrassing name. Believe me !" the teal eyed brunette stated before starting her interrogation, "So, did Miss Perfect over there REALLY snoop into your family's accounts ?"

"Yes !" Vina replied while shooting an evil glare at Kim. "I'm still not sure why though. Does she routinely do background checks on people ?"

"Not that I know of. Wouldn't surprise me though - she's always getting involved in things that don't concern her."

"Really ? Like what ?" Vina replied, her interest piqued.

"Like the yearbook committee. They asked HER what font they should use for the cover - and she wasn't even on that committee ! And she INSISTS on doing everything herself. It's like she thinks everyone EXCEPT HER are incompetent buffoons, incapable of doing anything right !"

"Hmmm, she does seem the type." Vina replied, "Those who can do anything MUST do everything. They simply can't trust anyone else to do it right, so they simply MUST do it themselves."

"Darn right !" Bonnie stated, "We had a dance last year, and she just HAD to do everything herself ! She didn't even want to hear my idea. Which, by the way, we did get to use anyway. And it did rock !"

Vina accessed her memory files. _Oh yes, I recall that. She was attached to Bebebot hive mind, and she ordered one of my ancestors to retrieve the band 'Smash Mouth' for the dance. Glad to hear it worked out for the best !_

"Oh, speaking of rocking, is that huge grey satchel thing you've been carting around all week actually a musical instrument ?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes. It's an omni-vox. It can reshape itself into any instrument I can play. It also has advanced holographic capability, and seventeen additional, independent voice channels ..."

"Uh, okay," Bonnie replied, not really in the mood for a geek-out technical lecture, "So, how many instruments can YOU play ?"

"Three so far - violin, guitar, and piano. Haven't had a chance to learn drums or woodwinds yet. But Middleton does have a good music club and band program, right ?"

"They've made it to the finals a few times over the years, so I'd say so." Bonnie answered, getting an evil grin. "You any good ?"

"I haven't been in any competions, but I've been playing for almost fourteen years. Why do you ask ?" Vina asked suspiciously.

"Miss Perfect doesn't play any musical instruments at all. I'd LOVE to see someone take her down a peg or two. Especially after that talent show fiasco last year ..." Bonnie replied, her voice cold and harsh. Vina looked to the other cheerleaders at the table in confusion.

"Ron signed Kim up for the talent show." the blonde Tara finally answered, "and they won. Somehow."

"She only practiced singing FOR A WEEK !" Bonnie muttered, "and Stoppable threw something together in minutes ! I've studied classical ballet for twelve years, and they just ..."

Having 'inherited' and integrated some of Bonnie's subconscious, Vina had to suppress an echo of Bonnie's rage within herself. _"Bonnie had a family tradition to uphold; the competion meant NOTHING to Kim and Ron ! They had no reason to compete at all ! It was just a way to hurt Bonnie to them, and nothing more !" _Vina thought to herself.

Other emotional memories flickered through Vina's processors. _"I don't even want to contemplate what Connie and Lonnie had to say about Bonnie's failure to 'uphold Rockwaller family tradition' !" _she thought to herself before her emotion suppressors kicked in.

"One week ? Why did they even bother to compete then ?" Vina asked, "Just to tweak you ? Not very heroic of them if you ask me."

Bonnie smiled. "No, it wasn't !"

"Well then, let's see her beat THIS !" Vina smirked as she set the omni-vox on the floor and activated thirty percent of its capabilities.

All in the cafeteria were enraptured by a scene right out of Fantasia. :

_The room filled with a bubble-gum pink light as the top of the omni-vox opened, and two pseudopods extruded upwards._

_The thinnest one shaped itself into a bow, while the thicker one formed itself into a violin. The rest of the omni-vox shaped itself into a holographic projector - a smooth rectangular box with three glass panels._

_Upon taking the violin and positioning it upon her right shoulder, three blobs of light formed near Vina, and slowly coalesced into what_

_looked like transluscent art class mannequins - that had hair exactly like hers. One held a bass, while two others held violins, _

_completing a string quartet._

_In the air above them, golden holographic musical staves glimmered into view._

_Vina and the holographic drones began playing, each note glowing as they were played. Flawlessly._

_Even Rufus was too stunned to eat !_

"That - that's Pachelbel's _Canon a 3 on a Ground in D _!" Bonnie stammered.

"Huh ? You know about that classical music stuff ?" Tara asked.

"Well doi ! A LOT of ballet is set to classical music !" Bonnie replied with a shrug, still watching Vina playing, "I kinda developed a taste for it over the years !"

"It sounds like Vina's been PLAYING it for years !"

"Or at least that composition anyway." Bonnie replied as Vina finished playing. The holograms disappeared as the violin and bow melted back

into the omni-vox as Vina politely bowed and waved to the other cheering students.

Kim was still sitting there moments later, wide eyed and mouth open, until Ron's cry of "That was BADICAL !" snapped her out of her stunned state.

"Well, yeah, if you have THAT much technology backing you up !" Kim muttered through her teeth, "I doubt she's all that good without it !"

Before Ron could reply, the Kimmunicator sounded its familiar four tones.

"What's the sitch Wade ?" Kim asked, still glaring at Vina.

"You asked me to keep a look out for uber-weirdness. Well, we got some." Wade answered, taking a sip from his ever present soda before continuing. "A chemical research lab in Kansas was robbed. The thieves smashed down a few walls, and dragged out several tons of experimental chemicals and equipment."

"Wow. Sounds serious. We're on it !" Kim replied, grabbing Ron by the arm. "Yo Ron ! Mission time !"

"Aww man ! But they haven't even started serving seconds on the pudding yet !" Ron pouted.

"I'll make it up to you later Ron ! Now move !"

**Scene : outside Acme Industrial Chemical Research Laboratories.**

Kim took in the crimescene : the building was a huge, sprawling cinderblock complex. With one six foot wide hole in the wall before her, and an empty space where a side wall USED to be to her right. Leading away from the building were four long, deep gouges in the grassy field that disappeared in the distance.

"That's - one big hole !" Ron noted as the company foreman walked over.

"Are you Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable ?" he asked.

"Guilty as charged !" Ron replied as he vigorously shook the man's hand. "Team Possible at your service !"

"Good to know. I'm Dale Richardson, lab foreman of this facility."

"Glad to meet you sir." Kim stated, "So, Mister Richardson, what was stolen ?"

"An entire month's production of our experimental plasto-ceramic composite. And the machinery needed to cure and shape it. The finished product is nearly as strong as titanium steel alloy, but less than a quarter the weight. We finished a batch to send to the labs at the space center, but, well ..." the foreman continued, gesturing towards the cavernous (and now empty) room.

"How much were you planning to send ?" Kim asked.

"About six tons of processed composite. We even had the railroad cars ready to transport. The thieves took them too."

"Looks like they had it very well timed and planned out." Kim stated before noticing something on the floor of the building.

It was a very fine grey gritty powder. LOTS of it. Sprayed out in a ten foot long cone from the hole Kim walked through.

A fifteen foot cone of the same powder was sprayed out on the grass where a wall used to be.

"Hmmm - it looks like the thieves entered here, and exited over there." Kim stated to Ron before activating the Kimmunicator, "Why don't you and Rufus check things out over there while I check this dust out ?"

"No prob KP !" Ron replied as he jogged off.

"I need a tech scan here Wade." she stated to the viewscreen.

"Working. Well, that's odd ..." Wade answered, rubbing his chin.

"What's odd ?"

"There's no trace of explosive residue on the wall."

"So they didn't blast in. Any sign a laser was used ?"

"No. Nothing to indicate high heat or any kind of energy projecting device was used. But that powder all over the floor is finely pulverized cement and cinderblock. Same composition as the walls."

"So someone hit the wall with something, with enough force to turn the shrapnel into dust then ?"

"Looks that way."

"Thanks Wade." Kim replied before turning the device off. "Anything odd out your way, Ron ?"

"Not really. Those gouges run all the way from here to the railroad tracks way over there." Ron replied while gesturing into the distance, "And there were a bunch of dents in the asphalt where a road crosses the tracks. So, who do you think did this ? Drakken ? He's stolen huge and massive equipment lots of times."

Kim thinks for a moment. "No - he would've just vaporized the roof with some sort of ray and airlifted the stuff out."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Ron replied after thinking for a second, "Not Dementor's style either. He usually steals small stuff, or just computer data.

Or uses disintegrator rays to remove the ceiling, and the ceiling is still here. And there are no monkeys involved, so it's not Monkey Fist. Not animal related enough for DNAmy either. What do you think Rufus ?

Rufus ?

Hey, where are ya little buddy ?" Ron asked, looking about nervously. There was a chittering sound from a tuft of grass, and his paw waving to get attention.

Rufus was standing in a four inch deep footprint concealed in the high grass.

"Hey - there's another one over here !" Ron noted, "And another, and another, and another."

"And a trail of them over here." Kim noted, "AND over here. Wait - three sets of deep tracks ? It's the Bebebots ! They're back in action !"

"How do you figure that KP ?"

"How many other villains do we know that can drag things weighing several tons across a field BY HAND ?"

"Ah, yeah, good point. But I thought you beat them already ! How many times do we have to defeat them so they stay, well, defeated ?"

"As many times as it takes, Ron. As many times as it takes !" she replies with a grim and determined look, "But they're going to need

a lot more than just a novel plasto-ceramic compound. They'll need computer chips, conveyor belts, high tech equipment and someplace to hide.

If they carted the material off by train, they'd most likely build a base near the tracks." She activated her Kimmunicator again and asked Wade to check all rail traffic near the laboratory.

"Someone hacked into the computers, Kim." Wade replied after furiously typing on two computers, " Completely randomized the data. I have no idea when the stolen train left there, nor where it went."

"Well, no real surprise there. So, how many abandoned factories or depots are within, say, a half an hour's travel by rail from here ?"

"Checking ... done ! Fifteen."

Kim sighed. "It's gonna take a lot of time to check out all of them. Any of them look more promising than the others ?"

"I can do some more checking to narrow the list down a bit. I should have the results in an hour to two."

"Thanks Wade. Oh, and keep an eye out for any large thefts of high tech electronics and computer chips."

"No prob." Wade smiled before signing off.

**Scene : booth at Bueno Nacho**

"A Grande sized Naco Platter ?" Ron stated in a reverential tone, "You're the greatest GF EVER, KP !"

"Like there's much competition for that title Ron !" Kim replied, "Riiiight ?"

"No. Nuh uh ! No way ! You're the only one for me !" Ron replied while Rufus started shoveling as much cheese as he could.

"Hey Kim, Ron." Wade stated in a dead drone.

"Heya Wade ... WADE ?!" Ron replied, realizing that Wade was out of his room. And standing right beside them at the moment.

But he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks - odd since they had last seen him on the Kimmunicator just a few hours ago.

"Wade ?" Kim gasped, "What happened ? You look way stressed !"

"They confiscated my computers !"

Kim and Ron flinched. "Who did what ?" Ron asked.

"Suits. From several government agencies. Impounded EVERYTHING ! Every hard drive ! Every printer !"

"Whoa ! That's heinous !" Kim said.

"Every compact disc, flash drive, keyboard and monitor !" Wade continued, oblivious to Kim's statement.

"Maybe you'd better sit down." Ron stated as he got out of the booth to sit beside Kim. Wade took the now open seat - and then nearly inhaled Ron's soda.

Kim and Ron waited a few moments for Wade to calm down before asking questions.

"Okay, Wade, take it from the top. What exactly happened, and when ?" Kim asked.

"It was about an hour and a half after I last talked to you. I finished that research you asked for, then mom said there were several men with badges looking for me. I thought they were looking for help, or to offer some consulting work. You know, the usual reasons.

Then they pulled out their warrants and then took my equipment away !" Wade continued, getting paler by the word.

Kim gently patted him on the shoulder until he could recover some of his composure.

"I managed to narrow the list of places the thieves could have taken all that plasto-ceramide compound down to five. Before ..."

"It's okay, Wade. We can deal with that later."

"Man, this is MAJOR, KP !" Ron whispered to Kim so not to distress Wade further, "Who do you think could take Wade out of the loop like this ?"

"Who do you think, Ron ?" Kim replied, her green eyes narrowed in rage, "The Rossums !"

**Scene : Rossum residence living room.**

_Tina is meditating on a mat in the living room, while Vina and Nina converse : _

"Uhm, Nina, are you SURE it was really a good idea to report Wade to the authorities ?" Vina asked her eldest sister while pacing nervously around the room, "I know what he did was illegal and underhanded and all, but since he didn't find anything incriminating, you COULD have just let him think he got away with it. Then Kim would have no reason to be on a warpath against me !"

"Wade is the core of their team." Nina states with an air of authority, "He is the one that maintains their website. He is the one that does their research, builds their devices, and tells them where the trouble is. Without him, Miss Possible and Mister Stoppable are essentially useless."

"Yes, I KNOW that !" Vina replies, massaging the bridge of her nose, "But I thought our mission was strictly reconnaissance. Just observing standard human behaviour, and then reporting our findings."

"Well, an opportunity like that doesn't present itself every day !" Nina replied with a broad grin, "So I took it. By binding Wade in bureaucratic red tape, I have given our less advanced cousins more time to complete their part of the mission before being set upon by Team Possible.

True, it also aids everyone _else_ with an evil plot currently in motion as well, but it is unlikely that many villains will be lucky enough to take full advantage of this situation ..." she rambled on.

"But that's not going to get Kim off my case !" Vina interrupted, "I'M the one that's gonna have to put up with her next Monday !"

"That - is an unfortunate consequence Vina," Nina replied sheepishly, "And I am sorry for putting you through that. But, you must admit, it is a most efficient way to get them off our backs for a bit."

"No argument from me. But that stunt won't stall him for long."

"True. But it should buy the others at least a little more time free from Kim's investigations."

"How much time ?" Vina asked.

"Difficult to say." Nina shrugged, "If Wade were anyone else, he'd be in prison, and forbidden to use any computers for YEARS.

But," Nina continued with a sigh, "since he has helped Kim and Ron save the world several times over, and they have friends in several high level law enforcement agencies, he should be back on line in a matter of days."

"But, what am I supposed to do about Kim on Monday ? She is definitely NOT going to be happy !"

Nina gestured and stammered while trying to think of an answer, but couldn't come up with anything.

Then she recalled that Tina hasn't spoken - or even MOVED - the whole time.

"Hey Tina ! You've been very quiet as of late." she stated as a diversion, "Do you have any thoughts relevant to the resolution of this situation ?"

A Mona Lisa smile crossed Tina's lips. "The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be. Within darkness, there is light; and within light, darkness."

Nina and Vina blinked in surprise, gave each other a confused look, then said "Ohhhhkay ..." in perfect synchrony.

"It's quite simple, really" Tina began, eyes still closed, "As far as the human's laws go, we have done NOTHING WRONG ! Since Wade is a private citizen, he had no legal reason to access those databases. So reporting his activities to the proper authorities was the correct, normal and LEGAL thing to do. The decision to confiscate his equipment was theirs, NOT ours. Perhaps you should remind Miss Possible of that. Even she is NOT above the law Vina."

"But what if she tries to hurt me ?" Vina timidly replied.

"Kim Possible is a hero." Tina stated, mussing with Vina's hair, "Heroes do NOT beat people up without very good reason. For now, she has no good reasons. At most, merely vague suspicions. Her morals will protect you from her wrath. You need not fear physical retaliation from her just yet. If she - or anyone else - tries, they would be guilty of harrrassment or assault. Punishable offenses." she continued, reveling in the pure absurdity of the situation.

"Wade, on the other hand, may bear watching." Tina stated in a contemplative tone.

"How do you figure that T ?" Nina asked while adjusting her glasses, "I doubt he would be foolish enough to risk more legal entanglements. Committing more of the same acts that attracted the authorities in the first place is highly illogical."

"Actions beget reactions." Tina replied while stroking the disc of her yin-yang necklace, "Despite his incredible technological skills and intellect, he IS still a teenaged human male. Not the most logical thing in the world. I suspect the first thing he'll do the moment he gets his computers back is to come gunning for us - by sifting through every database on the planet, looking for anything suspicious."

"Let him try." Nina replied haughtily, "Our cover story is airtight and flawless. It is perfect."

Tina sighed. "How many times have we decreed something 'perfect', only to discover it was not ? Since Wade will be digging for dirt, perhaps you should provide some dirt for him to find."

"There is sufficient for him to find." Nina stated flatly, "I performed several very in-depth statistical analyses of every relevant database. I constructed an electronic trail that blends in with the other hundreds of millions he could access. There is nothing peculiar or out of the ordinary with our fraudulent electronic history that he could track down."

Tina thinks for a moment. "I don't doubt you or your skills, but I'd feel better if you did some searching to find out what Wade is capable of. Harmony and balance have been disturbed; nothing good can come of this."

With that, she slowly pressed into a one-handed handstand to stretch her legs out, and held the pose for four seconds before flipping gracefully onto her feet. "I'm heading out to the mall for a bit. Wanna come along V ?"

"Can I drive ?!" Vina asked perkily.

"NO !" both Tina and Nina stated.

"You're no fun !" Vina groused as she followed Tina out to the garage.

**Scene : outside of Club Banana, Middleton Mall.**

"Kim is SO going to be freaking out on Monday !" Bonnie crowed to Tara.

"What makes you say that ?" Tara replied, shifting her packages to a more comfortable position, figuring that Bonnie will be speaking for quite a bit.

"I heard from someone that overheard her friend Wade absolutely freaking about his computers being confiscated by the government !"

"But how are Kim and Ron supposed to know about missions without him ?" Tara replied.

"Don't know, don't care." Bonnie replied with a dismissive wave, "She brought in on herself. I mean, running a background check on a new student ? Is that nosy or paranoid or what ?"

"Isn't that Vina over there by the music store ?"

Bonnie looked where Tara was pointing. "Oh, yeah. It is."

"Hey V ! What's going on ?" Bonnie asked as soon as she and Tara walked over.

"Oh, hi Bonnie ! Just picking up some sheet music. Anything new at Club Banana ?" she asked after noticing the bags Bonnie and Tara were carrying.

"They have a new line of hip huggers and calypso shirts."

Vina looked at Bonnie oddly. "Uh, weren't hip hugger skirts in fashion, like, FORTY YEARS AGO ?"

"Yeah. But it's been so long that almost nobody remembers them ! They're so far out of fashion, they're back in fashion !"

Vina blinked a few times as her error-trapping routines kicked in. "Well, I guess that makes sense. Anyone up for smoothies ? I'm buying !"

**Scene : food court of Middleton Mall.**

"... and then Kim's little brothers used some sort of grappler ray to take the car they built for me back !" Bonnie fumed, "Like it wasn't bad enough that some freaks Kim was chasing totalled MY car !

So what do you drive Vina ?" she continued after taking a sip of her drink.

"Nothing. I don't know how to drive." Vina replied simply.

Bonnie's and Tara's jaw dropped. "You. Don't. Drive ?" Bonnie managed to stammer out, "But how can you not know how to drive ?!"

"I grew up on Forgotten Cay, a very small private island in the Caribbean." Vina began replaying her cover story.

"How small ?" Tara asked.

"Not even a mile across." Vina replied after a sip from her tropical strawberry concoction, "So even if we did have a car, there was nowhere to go. But, on the plus side, it was only an hour by boat to go shopping on Grand Cayman Island."

"The Caymans ? Aren't those where all the rich folk hang out ?" Tara asked.

"Yep. But not with my family though."

"Hey Vina ! You ready to head home yet ?" a female voice asked.

Bonnie and Tara were a bit put off when they noticed that the speaker had a disturbingly strong family resemblance to Vina - right down to the identical pencil grey eyes.

"Well, I was gonna head to the arcade and practice for Zomb-A-Palooza Six. Starts next Saturday ya know." Vina replied cheerfully, "Then catch a movie or talk with Bonnie and Tara. Can you pick me up later ?"

"I can give you a ride home if you need one V." Bonnie added.

"I have no problem with either solution. Call if something comes up, okay ?" Tina replied before waving and walking away.

"Sure. No problem. Thanks Tina !"

"Sooo, going by the family resemblance, I'm guessing that was your older sister ?" Tara finally asked.

"Yeah. That was Tina. I have another older sister Nina, but she doesn't get out very often."

"She into kung-fu or something ?" Bonnie asked, "I noticed she was wearing one of those black and white, divided swirly circle thing necklaces."

"She's been studying kung fu very deeply for quite some time." Vina answered, "That 'black and white divided swirly circle thing' is the yin-yang symbol of Taoism. A very influential philosophy among martial artists. At least that's what she says. Every chance she gets ..."

"You might want to keep her on speed dial - Kim's probably going to blow a fuse all over you on Monday. You may need all the friends you can get !"

"Tell me about it !" Vina replied with a nervous laugh before she and Bonnie began plotting a defense.

**Scene : parking lot of Middleton Mall.**

Tina had just inserted the key to the family car's ignition when she sensed Nina was trying to contact her through their built-in comm link.

_ Has something disastrous happened ? _ Tina concentrated, setting up the robotic equivalent of a telepathic link, _ we are only supposed to use this ability for emergencies ! _

_ I did further research on Wade Load, as you suggested. _ said Nina's voice playing in Tina's head, _You were right to suggest that. Months ago, Team Impossible had gotten between him and his computer systems. He trapped them inside a McHenry laser grid. _

_How painful is a McHenry laser grid ? _

_ A McHenry laser grid is not painful, T. IT IS LETHAL ! _

Tina thought for a few moments. _He used lethal force against other humans ? Tell me the whole story. _

_ Team Impossible asked Kim to stop saving the world. _ Nina began, _She refused. Her rides started disappearing. So Kim asked Wade to do a computer trace to find Team Impossible's location. He was detected, and they defended by spiking his system. _

_And, since action begets reaction in an ever-worsening spiral, he responded with lethal force. _ Tina replied glumly, _If he is willing to do that against other humans, he would have no remorse in doing far worse against us ! _

The connection was quiet for a few seconds.

_Have you told Vina about this ?_ Tina finally asked.

_No. She is under enough stress as it is. _ Nina answered in a weary tone, _ I believe it may be best for her and the mission to keep this from her for as long as it is necessary. _

_Agreed._ Tina replied before shutting off the link.

"_This could be bad. Very bad _!" Tina thought to herself as she began the drive home. "_Must think on this further. 'To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders_.'"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 : Malevolent surprises**

_Scene : the kitchen of Kim's house, six twenty three a.m. Saturday morning. She and Ron are finishing up eating breakfast and packing their mission gear._

"Are you sure you can get Wade out of his present sitch ?" Kim asked the image of Dr Director displayed on the Kimmunicator's screen, "I mean, this isn't the first background check he's ever done ! How come this sitch has never come up before ?"

"He's very good at what he does." Dr Director replied, "Most of the time, no one even knew he'd hacked into their systems. You can't report an intrusion you didn't know about. For the few times he was detected, he was searching for incriminating evidence, or ways to help you and Ron stop major crimes. In these cases, his hacking was considered legal because we filed retroactive warrants on your behalf."

"Retroactive warrants ?" Ron asked incredulously, "You can do that ?"

"Yes. We have seventy two hours to convince a federal judge that such activity was necessary. Otherwise, any evidence gained is inadmissible in court. Since Kim has an exemplary record for stopping world-class villains, getting such a warrant has been very easy so far.

In this case, however," Dr Director continued, "there is no evidence of any sort that the Rossums are involved in anything illegal.

I have to ask you a few questions Kim : Was there any malicious intent on your part, Miss Possible ? Were you trying to gather data on Vina's family to hurt her, or use for personal reasons or gain ?"

"No ! Certainly NOT !" Kim replied huffily.

"I know." Dr Director said, hand raised in a placating gesture before writing it down, "It was necessary to ask for legal reasons. So why, exactly, DID you ask Wade to do a background check on Lavinia Rossum ?"

"Uber-weirdness. She managed to eat the caf's food without getting ill."

"Hmm. Well, that IS unusual." she replied with a shudder, "But not especially world threatening. So, unless there is evidence to the contrary we haven't uncovered yet, we'll write this up as a minor error. Due to your heroic activities, you've had more exposure to the strange and unusual than most people, and may have reacted prematurely."

"Yes, I guess so." Kim replied with a glower.

"It's not the end of the world, Kim." Dr Director stated, "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. You saw something unusual, and acted in good faith. Because of that, we can probably have the charges against Wade dropped, and his equipment restored to him by Monday."

Kim sighed with relief. "Thank you Doctor Director ! I know Wade will be overjoyed to hear that !"

"Yes. I can imagine. May I ask what you and Ron are doing up this early on a Saturday morning ?"

"The Bebebots are back, and they stole six tons of chemicals. And the equipment needed to process it." Kim replied, "Wade managed to track down a few places they could be hiding before his computers were impounded. It's going to take all day to check all of them out."

"'Bebebots', you say ?" Doctor Director asked as she entered the data into her computer. "Ah, yes. One of Drakken's more successful projects. Until they rebelled against him. This looks like a situation Global Justice should be dealing with."

"I've dealt with these things several times before, Doctor Director. They're no big. Global Justice would be overkill."

"Possibly." she replied, "But it pays to be cautious in unknown situations. We have the resources to perform a more efficient search than you do, Miss Possible. And it is our job to do them. How many potential Bebebot hives did Wade manage to locate ?"

"Fifteen. But the short list is only five sites."

"If you take half the short list, Kim." Doctor Director replied, "Global Justice will deal with the rest. If we find anything unusual, we'll call you in."

Kim did a quick calculation : _"If GJ takes half the short list, me and Ron will only be driving around for six hours instead of seventeen ! Spanking !"_

"You've got a deal Doctor Director !" Kim replied before scanning Wade's list and sending the file to her.

"C'mon Ron ! We're going to be doing a LOT of driving today !" Kim said after shutting the Kimmunicator off.

"You drive there, and I drive back ?" Ron asked as they headed out to Kim's car.

"Sounds more than fair to me !" Kim replied before getting behind the wheel and starting the engine.

**Scene : outside a long abandoned metal fabrication plant, nearly at noon.**

"Man, KP ! This place looks older than that recycling plant and the abandoned railway maintenance terminal we checked out _combined_ !" Ron stated as he gazed upon the graffiti and dust encrusted brick building. "How long ago did they abandon this place ?"

"The company left it to rust and rot about twelve years ago, Ron." Kim replied with a grimace as she tried to NOT think about the dirt and filth they may have to be searching through, "but it is on the railway line, and within range of the research lab. So we have to check it out."

"Well, third time's the charm KP." Ron said as he tried to pull the rusted metal door open, "The first two places we checked were a bust, and GJ hasn't called to say they found anything ..."

"... and since Wade is never wrong, this MUST be where the Bebes are hiding !" Kim finished his thought before PUSHING the door open with an echoing screech.

"This - does not bode well." Ron stated after kicking away some garbage stuck to his shoe. Even though it was noon, there was little light in the building since all its windows had been boarded over with sheets of plywood long ago.

Kim did a quick survey of the area - there were a few rooms off to her left and ahead, while half a dozen old metal working machines sat in the squalid darkness to her right. Beyond them was a large open space near the shipping bay, where three huge crates were rotting away off in a corner.

"I'll check in what's left of the offices, Ron" she finally stated, "You and Rufus see if there is anything odd over there by the shipping bay."

"On it KP !" Ron replied before threading his way past the remains of some destroyed chairs and tables earlier vagrants had left behind.

Kim had only been examining the old offices for nearly ten minutes before she heard a loud THUD ! - followed quickly by Ron complaining.

She ran onto the factory floor and found Ron lying flat on his back near one of the heavy metal working machines, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ron ! Are you alright ?"

"Yeah. I just slipped in something." he stated as she helped him up. But, for some odd reason, his left foot kept slipping !

"Aw man ! What did I step in this time ?!" he groaned as Kim looked around.

"This looks like a blob of grease !" she replied, rubbing the translucent substance between her gloved thumb and finger, "It is ! And it's fresh !"

She tested a few levers on the nearest machine - despite being covered in filth and blistered with rust, they moved effortlessly and without even a hint of a squeak.

"I think we just hit the jackpot KP !" Ron said before leaning on a 'start' button - and the industrial drill it was attached to began spinning at high speed.

"Whoa ! All these machines still work ? And have power ? Now that is not normal !" he responded before fumbling for the 'off' button.

"It makes perfect sense Ron !" Kim replied with a grin, "What better place for a bunch of robots to hide than in a metal working factory ? Even though all the machinery looks decrepid, it works just fine ! All the Bebes would need is a power source, and they could use everything in here without being detected !"

"That would explain why it made it to Wade's short list of 'places the Bebes could be hiding' then." Ron mused before looking confused, "But I don't see anything that even looks like it could hide a power source in here. At least nothing big enough to power all this."

"Which means their generators must be hidden nearby. So there must be a secret door, or a hidden passageway or entrance to a tunnel in here somewhere." Kim stated with a broad gesture, "Look for a hidden lever or a panel or switch that's out of the ordinary."

"_Out of the ordinary in here, eh ? That would be something unusually CLEAN ..._" Ron thought to himself as he started looking at the walls and floor panels very closely. "You know KP, this would be a whole lot faster - and healthier - if Wade was on line to do a scan for us !"

"I know Ron," Kim sighed, "but we'll have to do the best we can on our own until Monday."

"_Now where's the LAST place a normal person would check in this place ?_" Kim pondered in the remains of the foreman's office as she ran her finger along the top of a battered file cabinet, then grimaced at the thick layer of heavy dust stuck to her finger.

She turned on a small flashlight and looked around, before noticing a glint from inside one of the tiny rooms across the hall from her.

It was the handle of the long unused toilet in the women's restroom.

"_Well, points for major weirdness if that handle opens a secret door !_" Kim thought to herself before gingerly depressing the handle with her foot.

"Hey KP ! Something's going on out here !" Ron shouted from out by the shipping bay.

Kim rushed out to see what Ron was talking about. He and Rufus were looking at a six by six foot section of the floor that was now almost a foot lower than the rest.

"An elevator platform hidden in plain sight. Sneaky !" Kim stated. "I wonder where the controls are ?"

Rufus stroked his chin, then got on the platform for a closer look. He jumped up and down on one tile, and the platform lowered a fraction of an inch each time. He did the same on a tile to the right of the first, and the platform moved up slightly each time.

"Good going there Rufus !" Ron cheered, "You found the controls for this thing ! Wonder why it didn't move when I was searching over here earlier ? I probably stepped on those tiles a couple of times."

"The main switch is in the women's restroom, Ron." Kim stated, "I think you have to flip that switch before the ones on the platform work."

Ron thought for a few moments. "So - you have to find one hidden switch before two other hidden switches will work ? That's more security than most of the lairs we've been in have ever had ! I wonder what else the Bebes have in here ?"

"I don't know Ron. I wish we had Wade's input right now." Kim replied before blowing an errant strand of hair out of her eyes.

"You wanna wait until Wade's back online ?" Ron asked, "The Bebebots will probably stay put for a few days. I mean, moving from lair to lair quickly can't be easy or fast. Even for them. Assuming they even HAVE another lair to move to that isn't on Wade's list."

"True. But every day we DON'T intervene, the more of them there will be. So I say we get them now before things get worse !" Kim replied with her standard upbeat and confident tone.

"Right behind ya KP !" Ron replied before they lowered the platform three feet - just far enough down to take a peek without alerting how ever many Bebes were below them.

It looked like the Bebebots had been busy - they had carved out a square room with a twenty foot high ceiling beneath the elevator platform. Sliding doors had been mounted on three walls. As they watched, a triad of Bebebots walked beneath them.

But instead of their usual metallic appearance, these Bebebots looked like they were made from a milky tan, grainy plastic.

"The plasto-ceramic composite !" Kim whispered to Ron, "They've already started using it to build more Bebebots !"

"Good thing we found them when we did then KP !" Ron whispered back, "If that stuff is as strong and as light as Mister Richardson says, those Bebes might put up a better fight than the older models !"

"Which means we'd better take them out NOW, before they build too many more !" Kim replied before tying her grapnel gun's line around one of the machines bolted to the factory floor. Once she was sure there were no Bebebots waiting down below, she and Ron rappelled down their lines into the Bebebot's lair and hid behind some crates.

From their new vantage point, they could see inside the rooms briefly whenever the Bebes exited for patrol. Behind the left-side door was a wall of switches, buttons and screens as far as they could see into the room; Kim guessed some of it was the machinery stolen from Acme labs to make and shape the plasto-ceramic compound, and, most likely the generators powering all of this.

She could see nothing but darkness in the room closest to her.

Behind the right-side door were shelves all the way to the ceiling of the cavernous room, and piles of crates; from the markings, they'd been stolen from many different companies.

"How'd they manage to steal all that without Wade noticing ?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. It should be easy enough for Wade to find out - once he gets his systems back !"

"So, what's the plan KP ?"

"I'll distract them, you and Rufus sabotage all that electronic gear in there !"

Ron looked confused for a moment. "Wait - YOU'RE the distraction ?!"

"I can keep them very busy for quite some time, Ron !" she replied with a grin, "and you and Rufus rock at destruction ! It'll be just like that giant cheesewheel in Wisconsin." she continued before giving him a kiss on the forehead.

"Oh, yeah !" Ron replied with a chuckle and, seeing his chance, slunk off to the left.

Once Ron was in position and gave her a thumbs up, she snuck off towards the right until she was next to the doors.

She waited until the doors next to Ron opened before somersaulting on top of a crate and announcing "You Bebebots just don't know when to call it quits, do you ?"

As one, the three turned to look at her. Their optical sensors flared briefly as they began scanning.

"Target : Kim Possible." the closest one stated in a monotone, "Threat level : irrelevant !"

Kim gave them an annoyed, quizzical look before the other two Bebes raised their right arms in perfect synchrony. Seams appeared along the tops of their forearms and a panel lifted up, exposing a silvery hollow cylinder. Kim heard a whine as the weapons powered up, and had just enough time to look surprised and dive for cover before they opened fire.

_"LASERS ?! They're armed with LASERS ?! When did they get lasers ?!" _Ron frets as he watches them. "_NO ONE shoots lasers at my GF !"_ Ron thought to himself as he gathered his focus and courage. Seeing that the Bebes were now completely focused on Kim, he carefully slipped into the room.

Kim was easily avoiding their attacks with her gymnastics, drawing them into position for a classic counterattack. She finally somersaulted atop a large crate and waited for the Bebebots to open fire - as she reached for her compact for her standard 'bounce the laser beams back and get them to shoot each other' routine.

"I see you walking tin cans got a serious firepower upgrade !" Kim taunted at them.

"Correct. Every Bebebot that has attempted hand to hand combat with you has been destroyed." the 'bots replied, taking turns speaking a few words from the same sentence, "Conclusion : hand to hand combat with you not advisable. Therefore, alternate strategy required and implemented."

But instead of opening fire directly at her _all at once _as Kim was expecting, they spread out. The ones with the visible laser mounts went to opposite walls, while the third 'bot which STILL hadn't activated its lasers remained between them.

It extended its arms, palms forward. They start shaking and humming, then its hands blurred into superspeed motion as she generated a sonic blast, using its hands to push waves of air like the cone of a monstrous speaker. Kim managed to backflip away without getting hit.

As the crate she'd been standing on a fraction of a second before vanished in a vortex of splinters and dust.

"_Well, that explains how they got into the Acme labs !" _Kim mused to herself before noticing that the Bebebot that fired it could barely stand up, "_but that blast takes quite some time to power up, and takes a lot out of the Bebebot using it ! All I have to do is get in close and smash it before it can fire again !"_

But each time she tried to move, the flanking Bebes set up a cross fire, driving Kim back !

"_What the hey ? When did they start using actual tactics ?!_" Kim wondered as she feinted to the left, then cut back right. To no avail.

"_Nuts ! All they're doing is keeping me pinned down long enough for that third one to power up its sonic blaster again !_

_But, as long as they're dealing with me,"_ she continued, _"Ron and Rufus will have a much better chance of destroying this place !"_

The third Bebebot seemed to awaken and, upon that signal, the flanking 'bots set up a continuous crossfire, driving Kim back towards the wall inside an ever narrowing triangle.

Once they figured Kim was sufficiently pinned down, the last Bebebot powered up its sonic blast and fired !

Kim couldn't dodge left, right, back or ahead - so she quickly performed a split. She felt like her internal organs were bouncing off each other as the blast howled overhead - and disintegrated a four foot wide hole through the wall. She had just enough time to do a double take and dive through it before the other two Bebes trained their laser fire at her.

She found herself in large room about a hundred yards long, twenty yards wide, with a twenty foot high ceiling. All of the rafters and support beams were made from the same plasto-ceramic compound a few of the Bebes were made from. From the random piles of new and old equipment and crates scattered about the room, she figured they were using the place for storage. She grabbed the paperwork still attached to a crate she was hiding behind and stuffed it into her pocket. "_Wade should be able to figure out HOW they managed to get all this stuff without anyone noticing ! _" she thought to herself as she waited for the 'bots to start looking for her.

Less than a minute later, the doors opened and the triad of Bebebots strolled into the room and looked around. Seeing nothing immediately, they looked and gestured to each other.

The sonic armed Bebebot then used its telescoping limbs to go up to the ceiling. After turning its head completely backward, it started searching the storeroom from its high vantage point, creeping along the rafters like a huge robotic spider. One of the laser-armed Bebebots headed off into the shadows to the right; the last laser-armed Bebebot brazenly strolled down the middle of the room, weapons at the ready.

Kim blinked in disbelief. "_WHERE did these 'bots learn effective combat and search tactics ?!_" the groused to herself as the 'bots started their search. "_They make Hench's goons and Gemini's agents look like morons !_

_The Rossums are REALLY going to get a piece of my mind when I get out of this sitch !_" she continued to herself before taking stock of her present situation.

"_The bad news is, split up like that, they'll most likely find me._" she noted, "_But, the good news is, it'll be three one on one battles, instead of a single three on one !_"

She looked around for a weapon to even the odds a bit, and found a small crowbar. She hefted it a few times to gauge its weight as she decided which Bebebot to take out first.

Figuring that the one armed with the sonic blaster was the greatest threat, she threw the crowbar towards it. While the crowbar was still in the air, she whistled to get the Bebebot's attention.

It turned its head to look - just in time to catch the spinning crowbar right between its eyes ! There was a loud 'BONG !!' as the crowbar dented its skull. Sparks blossomed from the damaged 'bot, and it fell to the floor.

The Bebebot skulking in the shadows to Kim's left opened fire - completely giving away its position.

Without backup in position to establish a protective crossfire, the Bebebot was in trouble. Kim bobbed and weaved towards it, making contact with a devastating jump kick. The fembot was knocked back almost ten feet from the impact.

It staggered back a few steps more before recovering its balance.

"_I guess being lighter means you can be knocked back farther !" _Kim noted as she somersaulted in for another attack.

She caught it under its chin with a spin kick, breaking its head off at the neck, and sent it spinning in a steep arc into the air.

Upon seeing the Bebebot's head bounce off the floor, the last remaining Bebebot started walking backwards towards the door while rapidly firing its laser in Kim's general direction. Kim dived behind a crate, easily evading the barrage.

With Kim momentarily stalled, the Bebebot 'spoke' a rapid sequence of blips, squeaks and tones.

The darkness of the third room in the lair was pierced by countless pairs of glowing red eyes as the reserve Bebebots activated in response to the call for assistance.

**Scene : the control room : **

Ron had successfully snuck into his designated room, and was watching the six Bebebots tend to the machinery from his vantage point in the rafters.

"_Man ! SIX of them ?!" _he groused, "_Three of the old models are a match for Kim; just me against twice as many ? I sure hope Kim can distract them._"

As he was watching, all of the Bebebots stopped working and, as if listening to an unheard voice, walked out of the room.

The moment the doors closed Ron dropped to the floor and walked over to the school bus sized control panel.

"This is some very complicated and advanced technology Rufus," he stated before cracking his knuckles, "Better mess with everything !"

Rufus nodded in reply before squeezing into a vent to do some hostile rewiring from inside the generator's control as Ron pressed every button and flipped every switch he could find.

**Scene : back in the storeroom : **

It didn't take long for Kim to figure out why the lone Bebebot's shooting was so lousy - it was using suppression fire to keep her there until reinforcements arrived.

And arrive they did - the doors opened and a trio of Bebebots entered.

Then another. And another. And another. And yet another.

They powered up their lasers and spoke as one : "Your adventures end here and now, Miss Possible !"

Before they could fire, red lights started flashing, a klaxon sounded, and a robotic voice warbled "Forming press damaged. Forge temperature critical. Regulators off line. Catastrophic failure in two minutes."

"THANK YOU RON !" Kim grinned, taking the opportunity to somersault away from the Bebebots. They watched her for a few moments, before turning to run to deal with the problems.

Except for the last three in the room - they remained standing in front of the only exits, weapons powered up.

"_Oh, THIS is not good !_" Kim fretted to herself, "_Either the rest of the 'bots will repair Ron's sabotage, then come back here and blast me into a charcoal briquette. _

_Or they'll decide they can't repair it, abandon the base, and let it blow up._

_With me still inside !_"

She tried a few runs at the door to fake them out, but they simply opened fire and remained in position.

She tried to taunt them into pursuing her deeper into the storeroom, but they refused to abandon their posts.

"_Great - suicidally determined guards !"_ Kim thought to herself before realizing that, as members of a hive mind, the fates of any particular 'bots were irrelevant; the surviving 'bots would just build more to replace them.

"_Ron, where are you ?_" she whispered to herself as the shadow of self-doubt began to darken her outlook.

A bellowing shriek like something out of a bad kung-fu movie filled the room as Ron dived through the same hole Kim had dived through earlier. The 'bot guarding that exit was caught completely off guard as Ron swept its feet out from under it. Its delicate neck snapped when it landed at a sickening angle.

Looking scarier than anyone would have believed possible, Ron stood up, glared at the remaining two Bebebots and said "NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE shoots lasers at my GF !"

Jumping into a room so brazenly was so ANTI-logical that the Bebes looked at him for 1.5732 seconds as they tried to figure out how best to deal with him.

This was 1.14 seconds longer than they _really_ should have taken their eyes off Kim !

After downing them both with a double jump kick, Kim grabbed Ron and dragged him out of the room while activating her jetpack.

"Whoa Kim ! Can't we take the elevator ?" he asked as the jets kicked in and they took to the air.

"Not enough time Ron ! This place is going up in less than two minutes !" she replied as they shot up the elevator shaft and out through the narrow gap at the top.

She and Ron touched down a few hundred yards away, and ducked down behind the railroad track enbankment to watch.

There was a sound like distant thunder as they felt a vibration through the ground. Over by the abandoned factory, the ground blistered up as the walls of the abandoned factory cracked before finally collapsing. Then it sunk into the ground as the Bebebot tunnels below it collapsed.

"Well, looks like we can add another lab to your running total of destruction there Ron !" Kim stated with a forced grin as they began walking towards her car.

"They were shooting lasers at you KP ! I am not going to stand for that !"

"Thank you Ron !" she replied while embracing him hard enough to squeeze the air from his lungs.

"Uhm, KP ?" he squeaked, "I normally wouldn't complain about this sitch, but .. AIR ! I NEED AIR !!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry Ron !" she said after releasing her grip, "But THOSE ... BEBEBOTS were SCARY !!"

Ron had a confused and worried look on his face. "Huh ? What's so scary about a bunch of robot women you've easily trashed twice before ?"

"These weren't like the other ones, Ron !" Kim replied while grabbing two fistfuls of Ron's shirt, "They were actually, well, SMART !"

"What ? You mean they had other upgrades _besides_ the lasers ?"

"Yes ! At least one of them was using some kind of sonic blaster. And they were using totally different combat tactics !"

"Where could they have learned better tactics KP ?" Ron asked as he put his arm around her to calm her, "You think they found someone else to link to their hive mind like they did with Bonnie ?"

"I don't know Ron." she replied as her confidence returned, "But I intend to find out !"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 : Once Around the Bend**

_Scene : hallway of Middleton High School, 8:20 am_

Ron is watching Kim shuffle her books between her backpack and her locker as she prepares for the school day.

"Do you think Global Justice was able to get all the charges against Wade dropped ?" Ron asked.

"Hard to say, Ron" she replied, "but if anyone has enough clout to do it, they would !"

Startled, she almost fumbled one of her school books when the Kimmunicator rang out its familiar four tones.

She quickly activated the screen - and there was Wade, beaming like a new father. "Hey guys ! Miss me ?"

"Wade ! You're back on-line !" Kim stated with a broad smile, "So I guess this means GJ came through ?"

"They sure did !" Wade replied, "Once Doctor Director explained just how much help I've been over the years, the Feds couldn't return my equipment fast enough !"

"No duh ! So, you ready to help with another sitch that just came up ?" Kim replied.

"Of course ! But, its going to take me some time to rummage through the backlog of messages that built up during my absence." Wade replied, "I'll have to check back with the posters to see how many of them still need help, and how many of them found some other solutions. And how serious the missions were. And to let them know that Team Possible is still available to help."

"Oh, right !" Ron noted after thinking for a moment, "If all someone got when they went to Kim's website was 'Site Not Found', they could think that KP and I weren't saving the world anymore !"

"Exactly !" Wade replied, "We lost our web presence for only a few days. But that can be enough time for people to start thinking we're not here.

So, what sort of help do you need Kim ? It may take me a few hours to get back to you though."

"Well, the Bebebots are back. And had some SERIOUS and MAJOR performance upgrades !" Kim answered.

"Like what ?"

"Arm mounted lasers, sonic blasters, and high quality combat tactics ! I almost didn't get out of their hive in one piece ! If Ron had been just a second slower sabotaging their machines ..." she replied with a shudder.

"Whoa ! Well, if they've spend that kind of effort, there's a good chance there is something I can track down." Wade replied, stroking his chin.

"Oh, speaking of tracking things down," Kim replied while pulling an invoice out of her pocket, "I took this from a crate in the Bebebot hive. SOMEHOW they're getting high tech materials delivered to them without anyone noticing."

"That could be enough !" Wade replied as he scanned the invoice Kim was holding up to the scanner in her Kimmunicator, "I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Thanks Wade !" Kim replied before turning the device off, grabbing her books and heading off to class.

"Maybe you should have asked him to look for where the Bebes are hiding now ?" Ron said, "I mean, if they're smart enough to give YOU serious trouble, I doubt they'd just stand around and let themselves get blown up !"

"Good point Ron." Kim replied with a sigh, "But first things first. Maybe once we figure out HOW they're having their supplies delivered to them, we can drop in. That's how we keep finding everyone else's lairs !"

Kim didn't really notice what happened in the next three classes, since she was preoccupied with Ron's statement.

_"Where COULD a dozen or more robot women hide WITHOUT being noticed ?" _Kim mused to herself, "_It's not like they can blend in with the general population ! Where have they been all this time ? There must be holed up somewhere, for how else could they keep coming back after I destroyed them twice already ?_

_Underground in storm drains and sewers ? Not likely, since constant humidity isn't good for electronic devices._

_Abandoned factories and warehouses ? Most likely, and they would be on Wade's list already. But that could be too obvious, even for them._

_I guess I'll have to wait for Wade to do his cyber-magic on that invoice. Once the Bebes start having material delivered, we've got them !" _

After the bell rang and class was dismissed, Kim headed off to her locker, but was distracted by a large crowd in front of the Music Room.

As she approached, she could hear a violin solo being played from inside the room.

Slipping through the crowd, she got close enough to the door to look inside to see what was going on.

It was Vina, but instead of playing her omni-vox, she was using a regular wooden violin.

"Excellent playing Miss Rossum." Mister Loundes the music teacher stated as she finished, "You only made six rather subtle errors."

"_SIX errors ?" _Kim thought to herself, "_It didn't sound like she made any at all !"_

"I've never played that composition before, sir," Vina replied, "and some of those progressions were rather tricky !"

"I know. That's why that piece is an excellent test of ability. You did quite well." he replied as he wrote a series of notes on the chalkboard, "You mentioned that you can also read and write musical notation, and compose music, right ?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's see what you can do with that." Mr Loundes stated, gesturing towards the chalkboard.

Vina walked over to the board. There were notes on the imprinted staff, but nothing else. No bars to show where one measure ended and the next began. No key signature. No treble or bass clef symbols. Just an expanse of notes.

Vina looked back and forth along the measure, humming quietly to herself as she tried to figure out how the piece before her was meant to sound.

She quickly wrote '3/4', the treble clef symbol, and two sharp symbols to indicate the key signature before dividing the composition into bars.

She hummed to herself a bit before writing natural symbols beside just two of the notes, and rubbing out the last note and replacing it with a different one.

"Congratulations, Miss Rossum." Mr Loundes replied with a bow, "You just passed my test for admission into this class."

Vina looked confused. "But I thought I already was enrolled here !"

"I've been burned a few times by transfer students with faked transcripts over the years," he replied, "I had to make sure you were as good as your transcripts said you were. You are. Would you be interested in joining our music club ?"

"Oh, yes ! I would !" Vina positively gushed.

"Good to hear. What instruments do you currently play ?" he continued after retrieving a clipboard and pen.

"Well, I started off with the piano, sir," Vina replied after recovering from a blush, "then moved on to violin and guitar."

"Ah yes, the classical instruments. What compositions are in your repertoire ?"

"I'm partial to complex compositions, sir." Vina replied, fidgeting with the violin in her hand, "So I've learned Bach's _Toccata and Fugue in D Minor_, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Pachelbel's _Canon a 3 on a Ground In D_, Rimsky-Korsakov's _Flight of the Bumblebee_, a few pieces by Grieg, and a few from more recent composers like Vangelis ..." she continued, playing a few bars from each composition as she mentioned them.

Before an offscreen male voice yelled "Play _Freebird_ !"

To which Vina responded by picking up the eraser from the chalkboard and lobbing it at the offending male.

"Oo ! Sorry ! I was aiming for him !" she winced after a FEMALE voice yelped in surprise.

"And, FYI, since the triple guitar solo of _Freebird_ is one of the hardest compositions of all time, I simply had to master it ! So I can play _Freebird_. Just not by myself ! Because its a triple guitar solo. And I'm just one person.

And you should only make that request at uncool concerts or of lame musicians. Of which I am not !"

_Scene : lunchroom. Kim is sitting at a table with Monique and Ron, until Vina accidentally bumped into her._

"Sorry about that !" Vina blurted out before she noticed who it was.

Kim turned to look, and noticed that something was missing. "So, _Lavinia_, where's your omni-vox ? Leave it safe at home for a change ?"

Vina narrowed her eyes. "If you really must know, _Kimberly Anne_," she replied with all the condescension she could muster, "during school hours I'm to keep it in my new locker in the music room. Mister Loundes was so impressed by my ability that he pushed all my paperwork through _personally_."

"So you've been assigned a locker, and are officially a student here at Middleton then ?" Ron asked.

"Yes to both, Ron."

"By the way Lavinia, your sister's little trick didn't work." Kim stated.

"What trick are you referring to ?" Vina replied, starting to get _really_ annoyed at being repeatedly called by her 'true' name.

"Having Wade's equipment impounded by the Feds. It didn't work."

Vina sighs. "Are you STILL going on about that like it was HER idea ? Listen - all Nina did was report Wade's ILLEGAL activities to the proper authorities; what to DO about it was THEIR decision, not her's. So, if you have a problem with the ways things turned out, please direct your complaints to the relevant law enforcement agencies."

"Oh, I already did !" Kim replied with a smirk.

"Whatever do you mean ?"

"Me and Ron have friends in several high level government agencies." Kim began, "Its one of the perks of frequently saving the world. And they have already taken care of it. Wade was back online as of this morning !"

"Hmmph ! How utterly dross and droll !" Vina replied, "I'm starting to see why Nina prefers working with computers and machines rather than people. Machines FOLLOW rules and laws. Why do people even BOTHER writing laws if they're just going to ignore them ?"

Kim turned her seat around to more comfortably argue with Vina. "'Machines FOLLOW rules and laws' ? HA ! I have it on personal experience that not all machines are law-abiding !"

"Really ? Did your hair dryer do a bad job ? Toaster burn your bread this morning ?" Vina replied in a tone of mock sympathy.

"No." Kim replied with clenched fists, "Over the weekend me and Ron tracked down a Bebebot hive. Bebebots are hive-minded female robots trying to take over the world. They tried to kill me ! Several times ! But me and Ron managed to stop them."

"Well goody for you two !" Vina replied flatly, "So how is any of that relevant to your little vendetta against me and my sister ?"

"I did a little research on my own over the weekend Lavinia," Kim smirked, "Does the phrase 'R.U.R.' mean anything to you ?"

Vina rolled her eyes before rubbing the bridge of her nose and answering with "R.U.R. 'Rossum's Universal Robots'. Written by the Czech playwright Karel Capek in 1920. Relevance ?"

"Your family name is what again ?"

Vina sighed. "_The Three REALLY should have put a little more effort into finding a more normal and common surname for us instead of just randomly picking one from literature !" _Vina groused to herself as her processors began compiling a list of appropriate responses.

"Oh great Asimov's ghost !" Vina exclaimed, "Are you actually implying that me and my sisters are, what was the word you used, 'Bebebots' ? Because our last name is Rossum ? That joke about my family's name was old, dead and buried ten years ago, Kimberly Anne. Thank you SO much for digging up its rancid carcass once again !"

"Ewww ! Gorchy turn of phrase there V !" Monique stated with a shudder, "Especially at lunch !"

"Sorry Mon !" Vina replied sheepishly to Monique to before turning to Kim. "You OBVIOUSLY haven't read R.U.R., or else you would've known that the Robots in that play are more like organic constructs than mechanical people. They are produced by pouring chemicals into kneading troughs and vats.

If you are going to make fun of someone's name," Vina replied in a snobbish tone as her secondary processors finally compiled a counter attack, "at LEAST know what you are talking about !

And from where I stand," said Vina as she began her mind game, "YOU have just as much chance of being considered artificial as I do, Kim !"

"Heh ?" replied Kim, Ron, and Monique.

"All those 'missions' you insist on going on ? How often do you succeed ?" Vina began, sounding both bored and snippy at the same time.

"Almost always." Kim replied warily, trying to figure out where Vina was going with this.

"Almost always ? Really ? And that faux modesty bit you keep using ? 'Oh, its no big !'" Vina stated in a ridiculously exaggerated imitation of Kim, "'Anyone could have repaired a nuclear reactor with a pencil, some yarn and a stick of gum !'

But, if anyone could have done it, how come you are the ONLY one who ever does so ? The ONLY one asked, or expected, to do so ?

You succeed at nearly everything you try. You master complex skills in less than a week. You outperform people with years - DECADES - of dedicated practice and experience. Doesn't that seem a wee bit odd to you ? Peculiar ? _Unnatural _?" Vina continued, leaning forward with a smirk that would give a shark the willies.

"Just what are you getting at ?" Kim replied, eyes narrowed in rage.

"Nothing human should be that good at everything, Kimberly Anne." Vina replied, "Given your remarkable abilities, how can anyone be sure that YOU aren't some sort of advanced robot or genetic construct ?"

"WHAAAT ?!?!" Kim, Ron and Monique state as one.

"Your parents are a rocket scientist with vast experience in nano-technology, and a brain surgeon, right ?" Vina asked.

"Yeah. So ?"

"Perhaps they gave their beloved first born child some - enhancements ?" Vina stated cooly, "Such things are not unknown."

Kim's face turned as red as her hair as one eye twitched. "YOU. TAKE. THAT. BACK !!!"

"Or what ? You're going to use your sixteen styles of kung fu on me ?" Vina replies, flailing about with fake martial arts moves, almost hitting Tara and Bonnie, "Beat me to a pulp as an example of what happens to anyone that dares impede your brand of do-it-yourself justice ?"

Before Kim could attempt a reply, Vina continued with "If you're going to throw stones, Miss Possible, you shouldn't be living in a glass house !"

Kim stood there, stunned.

"Hey - if you can imply that my family are criminals based purely on our name and a series of events that YOU YOURSELF set in motion," Vina sniped, poking Kim with her finger, "then why can't I suggest that you are some sort of experiment based on equally insipid evidence ? Usual standards - like international laws - not apply to you ?"

The entire cafeteria became dead quiet after everyone close to scene retreated as far as they could.

Kim and Vina were now standing almost nose to nose, trying to stare each other down; the withering gaze from Kim's emerald green eyes gaining no ground against the venomous return gaze from Vina's pencil grey eyes.

"Is there a problem here ?" Mr Barkin spoke up, breaking up the contest.

"No. Not any more, sir." Vina replied coldly as Kim turned away with a barely stifled screech of rage.

Vina half-fainted into her chair once Kim's back was turned, as her 'breathing' and 'heart rate' began dropping to normal levels after her terrifying encounter.

"Are you okay V ?" Bonnie asked.

"I will be in a minute. Thanks for asking !" Vina replied as her regulators began redistributing power to non-stress configurations.

"Good. Although that was probably the coolest dressing down I've EVER seen," Bonnie stated, "I have to ask : ARE YOU NUTS ?!?! Kim beats up thugs, clones and robots as a hobby !"

"I know it was risky," Vina shrugged, "but I just got sick and tired of defending myself when I haven't even done anything ! There's only so much smugness I can take ! So I thought a counter attack would be more useful."

"Useful ? For what ?"

"Getting her off my case !" Vina replied after a few deep, cleansing breaths, "What is with her ? I always thought it was GET evidence first, THEN take legal action, but she's doing it backwards ! What's she going to do to next ? Ask Wade to do another illegal computer search ? Follow me around ? Break into my house ?" she continued, gesturing widely.

"Well," Bonnie said as she patted Vina's shoulder, "I've been dealing with Miss Perfect for years, and she's never done anything like that to me. I've gotten her torqued off many times and she's never tried anything seriously physical or direct.

But, then again, I've never seen her that angry before !" Bonnie finished with a shudder.

_"Oh capacitors !!!" _Vina fretted to herself, _"What have I done ?! I just hope Tina was right about Kim !"  
> <em>

* * *

> <p><em>Scene : table where Kim, Ron and Monique are sitting<em>

"Chill Kim !" Ron stated while sitting a safe distance away, "She was just playing with your head ! No one seriously thinks your a robot or a construct or anything creepy or weird like that !"

"I KNOW that Ron !" Kim growls, "But there's a real chance the Rossums are either Bebebots, or working for them !"

"Wow ! That's a pretty serious charge there KP !" Ron replies, "How do you figure that ?"

"Looking at them for one - did you notice they all have that same curl on their foreheads like the Bebebots do ? And the oldest one Nina looks EXACTLY like a Bebebot with a different hair color ?"

"Well, yeah, but that could be a coincidence." Ron replied, "More improbable stuff than that happens to us all the time."

"Well, yeah. But what about the timing ? A new student named ROSSUM transfers in ? Before we get a mission involving Bebebots ? And Wade is taken out of the loop just when we need him most ?"

"Well ..."

"And where does Nina work ? With Dr Renton - an expert in cyber-robotics !

The latest Bebebot weapon is a sonic blaster. What does Vina Rossum's omni-vox make, and what is she most interested in ? Sound, and controlling it ! Coincidences ?" Kim continued, counting off each point with her fingers.

"It - could be." Ron half-heartedly replied.

"If the Bebes were smart enough to upgrade their tactics and firepower, who knows what other ideas they came up with !"

"So, you think they made a few look human and sent them to Middleton to spy on you ?" Monique asked.

"Well, yeah ! Weird things like that happen to me all the time !" Kim answered, "For instance : who was the last student to transfer to Middleton ?"

Ron and Monique thought for a minute before Kim answered "Erik the synthodrone !"

"So, Kim, if you're so sure they're V.E.F.Rs, what are you going to do about them ?" Monique asked.

"V.E.F.Rs ?" Ron asked after unsuccessfully trying to decipher Monique-speak.

"Viciously Evil Female Robots, Ron !" Kim answered, "If I were CERTAIN the Rossums were 'bots, I'd send them to the scrap heap with all the other Bebebots; if I were CERTAIN they were human, I could just chalk all this up as weird coincidences and let it go.

But this not knowing for sure has me so frustrated !

Now, if there was only a way to figure out if the Rossums are Bebebots or not ..." Kim stated, fingers interlaced as she began to think.

"Tech scan ?" Ron offered.

"Too slow, and hard to explain away if I was wrong." Kim replied, "And Wade is kinda busy at the moment."

"How about a hypersonic emission ?" Ron tried again.

"That's even more blatant than a tech scan Ron !" Kim replied with an exasperated sigh, "Besides, given how fast they've been learning so far, I doubt that trick would work on them a third time."

"Well, yeah, but isn't the law 'innocent until proven guilty' ? You've been wrong before ..." Ron stated in an uncertain voice.

"Oh really ?" Kim replied icily, "Like when ?"

"Well, you thought Yori was working for Monkey Fist for a while there ..."

"Oh, that !" Kim replied, "That just PROVES my point that we need more information on the Rossums ! The only reason I thought Yori was working for Monkey Fist was because I didn't have enough information to think otherwise !"

"So, she was guilty until proven innocent then ?" Monique offered.

"Whose side are you on Monique ?" Kim replied in a shocked tone.

"Yours, Kim." Monique replied coolly, "I just don't want to see your 'take-charge' nature make you do something you'll regret. Remember the soccer coaching fiasco last year ?"

Kim glared at Monique for a moment before she realized that Monique was right.

"Sorry." Kim replied, "I guess this business with the upgraded Bebebots and Miss Charm over there has me a bit rattled." she continued, glaring at Vina.

"S'alright !" Monique replied, "No surprise for being tweaked though. Looks like V girl's got a black belt in verbal kung fu. I was NOT expecting that."

"Yeah. Me neither." Kim replied, "But I'd still like more information on them. Just to put my mind at rest of course ! All this is a little too weird, even for me.

Now, IF the Rossums were up to no good, there could be some evidence in their house, or on their computers. Now, if there was only some way to look around in there ...

Wait a minute ! Ron ! You and Vina are partners for this semester's science project, right ?"

"Uh, yeah. That's the way Mister Barkin assigned us, and ... oh, now wait a minute !" Ron answered before catching on.

"You and Rufus can look around a bit for me !" Kim continued, "After all, you have a reason to be there, and I don't !"

Ron looked about nervously as he tried to figure out how to answer. "_On the one hand, if Kim is right, I'd be helping to save the world from evil robots_," he thought to himself, "_but, if she is wrong, I'd be snooping around a stranger's house for no really good reason. Kim's rarely wrong. But she HAS been wrong once or twice before. But if I don't do it, Kim might try something on her own ..."_

"I'll see what I can do, KP." Ron replied glumly, "I'll ask, but Vina may not go along with it. I mean, after that argument you two just had, I may not be overly welcome."

"Well, you'll be a LOT more welcome over there than I'll ever be !" Kim replied, "You still have your Ronnunicator ?"

"I never leave home without it !" Ron replied before searching through his pockets. "Well, okay, maybe it's in my locker. But I do have it ! Why ?"

"It has the same capabilities as the Kimmunicator. Including the ability to do tech scans !"

"You sure that's not overkill there Kim ?" Monique asked, "I mean, a tech scan ? Girl, you sure that's legal ?"

"Well, it COULD be 'Nique. Depends on what we find !" Kim replied, "After all, we could be dealing with dangerous killer robot spies here !"

"Uh huhhh." Monique replied, sounding doubtful. "Well, good luck with that Kim. I think the less I know about your plans, the better."

_Scene : hallway of Middleton High, less than a minute after the final bell had rung._

Ron carefully threaded his way through the milling students, working his way towards Vina's locker.

"Hey Vina ! Wait up !" he yelled to catch her attention before she finished packing her stuff to go home.

"What do you want, Ronald ?" she asked, giving him a sour look.

"Well, we have a science project to work on that's, you know, sort of due in a few weeks" he stammered out, not feeling too sure about this course of action, "and since I'm guessing that you have most of the stuff prepared at your house, and I, well, don't ..."

"_Oh frell ! With all the drama of dealing with Kim, I forgot about that !_" Vina fretted to herself, "_Now what ? If I say no, that might look suspicious; but if I agree, Ron will be snooping around my house ! Ohhhhhh - Nina is NOT going to be happy about this !_"

"Oh, you want to start work on our project then !" Vina replied with a forced smile and the most sincere 'not-stressed-out-of-her-gourd' tone she could muster, "I'll have to talk this over with my sisters, but I _suppose_ you could come over around six or so. AFTER dinner. Trust me - you DON'T want to be there for that !"

"Why not ?" Ron asked, never one to miss a chance at a free meal, "Oh, right. Neither of your sisters knows how to cook."

"That - is putting it mildly." Vina replied, "So, I'll call you after I check in with Tina and Nina. You're in the phone book, right ?"

"Yeah. There aren't that many Stoppables in Middleton." Ron answered, "Uh, where do you live again ?"

"Why don't you ask your friend Wade ?" Vina replied haughtily before she turned to walk away, "I'm sure HE could tell you !"

* * *

>Vina only had to wait a few minutes before Nina drove up.<p><p>

"Uh, where's Tina ?" Vina asked as she got into the front passenger seat.

"She told me the advanced drawing class wanted a model for some very challenging poses." Nina replied as they started the drive home, "So she'll be there until her usual classes start. She should be home by eight tonight."

"Oh." Vina replied glumly, recalling that, as a student transferring in as a junior at Middleton Community College, Tina does odd jobs for quick cash every now and again. Either to maintain her cover as a college student, or just for laughs.

"You seem distressed, Vina. Have Miss Possible and her friends been harrassing you ?" Nina asked in a concerned tone.

"No. Not yet anyway." Vina stated quietly, which Nina replied to with a quizzical look.

Vina took a deep breath and announced "I have bad news, and horrible news."

Nina sighed before asking for the bad news.

"The bad news is I think I really, REALLY annoyed Kim." Vina began.

"What did you do ?" Nina asked with a cold tone and a colder gaze.

"Well, she was acting like it was your idea to impound Wade's equipment when it wasn't," Vina started, "and then she mentioned that she and Ron destroyed our cousin's base. As if that were a good thing. And noted that our family name is Rossum ..."

"She suspects that we are Bebebots ?!" Nina replied, quickly calculating the fastest routes out of town in case escape was necessary.

"Suspects, yes; certain enough to do something about it, no. Not yet."

Nina clenched her jaw and ground her teeth before asking Vina to continue relating the bad news.

"So, after her going on about our last name being Rossum, I sorta implied that she could just as easily be considered a robot or genetically modified, and that her parents were the sort that may have given her some unnatural enhancements ..."

Nina was very quiet for a few nerve wracking moments.

"Well, on one hand, I am a bit distressed that you would provoke our enemy in such a blatant manner." she finally stated, "But, on the other hand, I am pleased that you stood up for us. And in such a clever manner as well."

Vina was relieved and pleased with her sister's praise - until Nina asked about the horrible news.

"Well, uhm, Ron and I were assigned lab partners in science class last week, and Ron asked to come over to our house to work on our science project." Vina stated sheepishly, "Saying 'no' would look suspicious, so I kinda told him he could come over. AFTER I asked you, of course."

Nina looked rather angry for a few breaths, and then smiled. Which Vina found far more disturbing.

"I believe that we can subvert Miss Possible's attempt at subterfuge to further our own goals." Nina finally stated, "You do know the only reason Ron asked to work at OUR house was so that he could spy for Kim, right ?"

"Well, doi !" Vina replied with a snort, "Even Kim admits that Ron is a bit of a slacker. That he'd suddenly show some initiative after I insulted Kim and inflated her paranoia is too much of a coincidence to be credible.

So, what's the plan ? I thought you'd be upset at the thought of anyone that hangs around Kim snooping around our house !"

"I was. For a moment. Got over it." Nina replied with a dismissive gesture, "He can snoop all he likes, for we have nothing for him to find. And once he tells Kim that there is nothing odd going on ..."

".. she might get off our case !" Vina replied, getting the idea, "But what he somehow finds your secret lab ?"

Nina's brows knit in confusion. "Why would he be standing in the hallway closet with the door closed and the light off ?"

"I don't know !" Vina replied, "But it seems that strange and unusual things happen to him and Kim all the time. It's one of the reasons she'd even _consider_ the idea that we're Bebebots valid in the first place. So there may be a slim chance he could somehow stumble across your lab."

"Then we still have nothing to worry about." Nina replied with a shrug, "I actually do work with Doctor Renton, so having my own little home laboratory is not too unusual or unexpected. Especially in Middleton. If he should ask why my lab is hidden so well, we can just say 'crime prevention' - if the criminals don't know we have advanced tech, they won't come to steal it."

Vina mulled it over as they pulled into their home driveway.

"Besides, its not like HE'D recognize any of my equipment as dangerous. You could probably tell him my nano-manipulator is a bun warmer or something, and he'd probably believe you." Nina stated with a slight chuckle.

"I'll ... be working some overtime at the Space Center's labs tonight; I have a few projects I should finish up before the next lab meeting." she continued.

"You're not going to hang around ? Just in case ?" Vina fretted.

"No. I would only be in the way here." Nina replied with a gentle smile, "But I have no doubt that your social skills are more than sufficient to accomplish the needed task V. Remember - give Ronald every chance to snoop around, but do not be blatant about it. What time did you tell him to be here ?"

"Six o'clock." Vina replied before looking at her watch. "Eeeeep ! An hour and forty minutes from now ! Oh, this place is a mess ! I've gotta straighten up ! Find sufficient snackage ! Find something to wear that's casual, but not slovenly !!" she exclaimed as the primal directive of all Bebebots - 'perfection in performance' - engaged and compelled her to become the Perfect Hostess.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 : A Clever Imitation of Life**

"Oh, come on ! Where is casa de Rossum ?" Ron grumbled to himself as his scooter tried to quit on him yet again. Wade had indeed known what Vina's home address is (1951 Barnhardt Way), but he didn't mention how far of a drive it was. In fact, it was just barely in Middleton, in a housing development less than ten years old. Ron had driven past the address three times already, but failed to notice it since there was nothing obviously out of the ordinary about the Rossum's dwelling.

After Rufus tugged on Ron's shirt and pointed the way, Ron drove up the short driveway and stopped in front of the two car garage. After stowing his helmet in the scooter's basket, he followed the sidewalk to the front door, noting the six foot wide tiled porch running along the front of the house.

"Well, time to get this mission underway !" he stated flatly to Rufus as he checked the Ronnunicator, still feeling a little guilty about spying on anyone without a really good reason. Seeing that it was fully functional, he hid it in one of his pockets before ringing the doorbell.

A small camera box on a telescoping post rose from a hidden trapdoor just to his right. "Who is it ?" Vina's voice requested.

"Oh, hi ! It's me ! Ron ?" he replied to the talking box, "Am I early or something ?"

"Not at all ! I'll be there in a minute !" Vina's voice replied before the camera box dropped back down, leaving no hint as to where it came from.

A few moments later the front door opened. "I trust you didn't have too much trouble getting here, Ron ?" she asked.

"Well, not really." he began, "Well, okay, a bit. You know, they really should put up more visible house numbers and street names out here !

And what's with the talking high tech jack-in-the-box ?"

"Oh, that. Part of the security system Nina built." Vina replied with a dismissive gesture, "It's just a fancy intercom. We can tell salesfolk to get lost from any room in the house without needing to walk all the way to the door."

Ron started to reply before Vina asked him how he got here.

"On my rambling road machine over there !" he replied with a broad grin, gesturing towards his scooter.

"On that poor little thing ?" Vina asked, "What DID you do to it ? Drop it from a helicopter a few times ?"

"Well, no !" Ron replied huffily, "It IS a few years old, and, well, things kind of happen ..."

"Hmm. Indeed." she replied flatly as she retrieved a remote from her pocket and pushed a button, "In any case, it's probably best to keep it in the garage until you head for home later. We've had a rash of joyriders out here these last two weeks, so no vehicle is safe."

"Really ? I haven't heard anything about it."

"Well, it's been very small time stuff really." Vina replied, "Probably far beneath Kim's notice. Just some kids 'borrowing' anything with wheels, and running with it until it runs out of gas or they crash into something. Why, just last Saturday someone swiped Mister McKellow's riding mower. If you look closely, you can still see the strip of short grass they cut into everyone else's lawn before they ran into that mail box way over there." she continued, pointing to a dented mailbox several blocks away.

"Oh, yeah ..." Ron replied while squinting. It was difficult to see, but there was a winding swath of shorter grass across several lawns.

Ron turned when he heard a sound behind him - it was Vina pushing his scooter into the garage. Although the garage was wide enough for two cars, half of it was already taken up with cases of soda and boxes of crackers and other bulk purchased items. And a pink, beyond pristine condition scooter just like Ron's !

"Wow ! You have a scooter too ? When did you get that ?"

"It was mom's. She bought it new in nineteen sixty eight !"

"You mean that scooter is ..."

"... nearly forty years old. And it still works just as well as it did when new, thanks to Nina !"

Ron whistled. "She does great work !"

"Yes, she does."

Ron looked confused for a moment. "Wait a minute - if you have your own transportation, why do your sisters drive you everywhere ?"

"A car is faster and can carry far more stuff." Vina replied with a shrug, "And I really like hanging with them !"

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Ron replied as Vina opened a door and they headed into the kitchen.

"Since you are a guest here," Vina stated, "I prepared some snack trays. This one has a selection of pretzels, chips, mini-corn dogs, snicker-doodles, celery and carrot sticks and dip. While this other one has different kinds of ..."

"CHEESE !!!" Rufus squealed as he popped out of Ron's pocket like a manic prarie dog and dove for the table.

Vina's processors kicked into overdrive as she attempted to figure out how to handle this situation - none of the data on manners and polite behaviour that her neural net had been trained with covered 'what to do in case a manic mole rat dives for a cheese platter'. As a Bebebot, she had the combined memories of every Bebebot that had ever lived, and so remembered what Rufus could do - and had done to her 'aunts' at the Gulf Coast hive nearly a year ago; but since she was portraying a human, she couldn't act upon any of it even if it were of any possible use in this situation.

"_Hmmm - how WOULD the average human that had never seen a naked mole rat before act in this situation ?_" she mused as her random number generator produced an arbitrary number, and her behavioural subroutines implemented the option.

"EEEEEAHHKK !! What IS that freakish thing ?!?!" she shrieked, "And WHY is it eating all the cheese ?!?"

"Hey ! Don't panic !" Ron stated with his hands raised chest high in case Vina picked up a broom or something, "That's just Rufus. He's not 'a freakish thing', he's a naked mole rat ! And a very close friend of mine !"

"Well, you could have TOLD me you were bringing him over !" Vina sniped back after a few deep breaths for appearances, "It isn't polite for guests to bring guests of their own without asking the hostess first !"

"Eh heh, sorry about that V !" Ron replied while rubbing the back of his head shyly, "I just thought everybody in Middleton knew about me and Rufus."

Vina glared at him for a few tense moments. "_So THAT'S how that hairless freak got into the Gulf Coast hive ! Ron brought him in !" _she thought to herself while keeping her expression neutral. "_And since Ron has never done anything against us, no one thought to check for such things !"_

"We just moved to Middleton over the summer, and that subject has never come up before !" Vina replied as she calmed down.

"But, since he's small, already here, and there has been no real harm done, I'll let it slide this time." she finally stated, "That platter is all yours, Rufus."

Rufus sniffed at Vina for a few seconds. She didn't smell like any human he had ever met, but she didn't smell like any synthodrone or Bebebot he had ever met either. And, since she was being so generous with the cheese, he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt as he resumed snacking.

"Well, now that that awkweird situation has been resolved, would either of you care for a soda ?" Vina asked as politely as she could.

"Uh huh ! Root beer !" Rufus squeaked, and Ron seconded.

"Oh frack ! We're out !" Vina replied after opening the fridge for show, "But we have a whole case in the garage. Why don't you two get started on the project in the living room while I get the refreshments ? Make yourselves comfortable, but don't break anything !"

"No problem V !" Ron replied as he picked up Rufus and headed into the next room.

"_It's not going to be easy to get comfortable in here !_" Ron thought to himself as he sat down on the big leather padded chair. "_This place looks more like a library than a living room _!" he fretted to himself once he noted that the entire left wall was nothing but stuffed full bookshelves, with the tomes covering everything from astrophysics to zoology, arranged not only alphabetically but also by date. The end table beside him was buried under organized piles of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, science fiction compendiums, bound journals, newpapers and magazines scattered over even more subjects than the shelved books. The couch was currently covered by index cards and poster boards of various sizes, and looked like the entire music club had left their instruments there as well.

His mood lightened immediately when he noticed the wide screen TV taking up most of the wall opposite him, and the Z-Boy Game System.

"Is - is that a Z-Boy Six ?!" he stammered to Rufus after Rufus scampered over for a closer look.

"Nope. Z-Boy Seven !" he replied.

"A Z-Boy SEVEN ?!" Ron stated in the hushed tones of awestruck reverence, "But that's not supposed to be available in this country until Christmas !"

Ron quickly looked around and, seeing that Vina still hadn't returned yet, called Kim with his Ronnunicator.

"They have a Z-Boy SEVEN !" he exclaimed as quietly as he could the moment Kim's face appeared on the screen.

"Focus, Ron !" she replied, "You're there to look for anything suspicious !"

"But the Z-Boy Seven won't be available here until Christmas !"

"Well, that could be a little suspicious." Kim replied after thinking for a bit, "Anything else out of the ordinary ?"

"It looks like someone does a lot of reading. I mean a LOT of reading !" he answered as he scanned the bookshelf with the device to show Kim, "Perhaps a little TOO much reading ? I mean there's a LOT of books here KP !"

"That's hardly suspicious Ron, but I'll have to ask Wade about the subject matter anyway."

"Would a scan detect a secret passageway ? Like the one at Mister North's mansion ?" Ron asked, looking around for a bust or a statue or something that could be tilted or hide a button, since he knew from watching too many old movies that secret stairwells were always hidden behind bookcases.

"It could, but we'll have to wait for Wade to analyze all the data to tell."

"Oh, right. Talk to you later KP !" Ron whispered as he quickly shut off his Ronnunicator the moment he heard Vina enter the kitchen.

"Oh, I see you found the game system !" she stated before handing a can of root beer to Ron, and setting another can with a straw in it on a coaster on the endtable for Rufus.

"Uhm, yeah. How did you manage to get one ? I thought they weren't available in the U.S. ?"

"Nina was on a programming team for the company a few months back, so they gave her one." Vina replied with a gesture, "Her task was to give the final bosses in 'Crepuscular Knights of Tenebrae' adaptive artificial intelligence."

"And that means what ?" Ron asked, not liking the sound of any of those last three vaguely familiar words.

"The game system analysed every tactic the players used, then devised appropriate countermeasures. The more it was played, the more challenging it became ! At least that's what she said it did."

"_Wait - that's kinda what those new Bebebots were doing !" _Ron thought before diverting attention with "Uhm, I meant the words 'Crepuscular' and 'Tenebrae'. What the heck do any of those words mean ? Are they even English ?"

"Apparently the pickings were a mite slim in the marketing department that week." Vina sighed as she shook her head, " 'Crepuscular' means 'of, relating to, or like twilight', while 'tenebrae' is Latin for 'darkness' or 'night'."

Ron thought for a moment. "Twilight Knights of the Night ? Wow, that's kind of redundant !"

"Not every title can be a winner." she shrugged in reply.

"That would explain why I've never heard of that game before, and I've pretty much played them all ..."

"No one has ever heard of that game before, Ron." Vina replied, "Nor likely ever will. The project was canned months before release."

"Bummer ! But Nina still got paid for working there, right ?" Ron asked, making a mental note to ask Wade about it later.

"Of course !" Vina replied, "It wasn't her fault the project went nowhere. It takes months, sometimes years, for a game to go from planning to market, and tastes can change very quickly. So Nakasumi ended up with a game that probably wouldn't sell enough copies to break even."

"That's odd, though." Ron noted, "Nakasumi usually makes top-notch products."

"Well, in the video game business, for every game that makes it to market, there are dozens more that don't quite make the cut. It is a very risk intensive undertaking. Which is why there is always a market for highly-skilled 'hired gun' programmers somewhere !" Vina replied in a cheerful tone.

"'Hired gun programmers' ?" Ron asked with a quirked eyebrow, "Never heard that term before."

"Nina explained it to me once," Vina began, "Sometimes a company will need PhD level programmers for a project for just a few months. It isn't worth hiring a full time PhD for such a short job, but temp workers that could work short-term generally aren't skilled enough."

Ron thought for a moment. "Ah ! So she fills in the gap by taking short-term contract work ! I think Wade does that sort of thing every now and again. As kind of a hobby. But it doesn't sound like a steady line of work."

"It wasn't." Vina replied, beginning their cover story, "She had to move several times a year just to stay employed. Sometimes the wait between jobs was rather long. And since it was short-term work, her name will probably never be listed on any project she worked on. Leads to a very anemic resume. That's one of the reasons she took the job at the Space Center - challenging tasks, steady income and credit for her work."

A light flickered inside Ron's mind. "Maybe we could do our project on video games ! Not many people know the ins and outs of their production, so the presentation would be informative ! The scientific principles would be computer programming. Or advances in hardware."

"But I already prepared most of the project as 'Music : Manipulation of Sound' !" Vina replied, using a wide gesture to indicate all the poster boards and instruments in the room.

"Well, maybe we can keep the video game idea as a 'Plan B'. Just in case." Ron answered timidly, "So, let's see what the project looks like so far !"

Vina took that as her cue to begin, and Rufus took that as his cue to start sneaking around the house to look for anything unusual.

Although Ron is a very polite and tolerant young man, after an hour, he simply had to say SOMETHING !

"Uh, Vina ? You DO know that the presentation is only supposed to last at most twenty minutes, right ?"

She was about to answer back with a snide comment before she realized that he was right. She looked around the room, and figured that she was not even half way through her presentation !

"Oh freck !" she muttered, "I'm not even halfway done !"

"Er, yeah." Ron replied with a grimace, "Listen V, I think you know the subject a little TOO well. I'm pretty sure Barkin just wanted a high school level demonstration of a scientific principle, not a college level presentation of musicology !"

Vina looked around the room a few more times in despair, before beginning to gather up the poster boards and cards. "I think I will be needing your help after all Ron !" she finally stated, "I - have no idea of how to condense all of this into the alloted time. Since you're not as deeply into music as I am, I think you'll have a better chance of finding just the critical parts for the assignment. So could you look through what I have and pick out what you think are the important parts ? We can fine tune the presentation later. Maybe add a few things, take a few things out, whatever."

"Sure, that sounds more than fair to me !" Ron replied after glancing at a few of the cards, "You sure you won't get too mad if I cut too much out ?"

"The presentation is already at least six times longer than it's supposed to be !" Vina replied with a defeated sigh, "If I was going to be mad at anyone, it would be at myself for letting it get so far out of hand !"

"Eh, don't worry about it V !" Ron replied, "I'll see what I can do. After all, finding the easiest way to do things is what slackers do best !

Say, you haven't seen Rufus around lately, have you ?" he asked, looking around.

"No. I thought he was in here with us. You sure he didn't get lost under all these poster boards or something ?"

"Not likely, but he could've gotten stuck somewhere."

"_He's trying to come up with an excuse to search the house !"_ Vina thought to herself, "_Best to let him think he succeeded !"_

"Well, you can search downstairs." Vina finally stated, "I'll look in the bedrooms upstairs."

"Thanks V !" Ron replied with relief, thankful that he didn't have to do an embarrassing and uncomfortable search through the bedrooms of women he didn't know.

As he headed down the stairs, he was confronted by shelves of bobble-head _Three Stooges _brick-a-brack just in front of him.

"_Okay, now THAT's more disturbing than suspicious !" _Ron thought to himself as he examined the items closely; after that "Granny trap" Dementor pulled, he wasn't about to take any more chances with figurines.

But after glancing to the right, he had to remind himself he wasn't at the Yamanouchi school for ninja - most of the room was a home dojo, with mats on the floor, that wooden trunk with several arm-length sticks projecting from it (used as a practice dummy in Wing Chun kung fu), a punching bag hanging from the ceiling, a wide selection of martial arts books on a table, and a collection of martial arts DVD mixed in with comedy DVDs. One wall had several different weapons hanging from it : a staff, twin butterfly knives, a slim tai chi sword, and what looked like a very long chain of four inch long thin metal rods connected by rings - a chain whip. Standing nearby was what looked like a retired crash test dummy with odd meridian lines and pencil-eraser sized dots of various colors on it. Most of the dots were green, but a few were yellow, fewer still were red, and about half a dozen were black.

"_Okay, now THAT's more suspicious than disturbing !" _Ron thought to himself as he began scanning the room with his Ronnunicator, sure that he had seen something like that oddly decorated dummy somewhere before, but unable to recall exactly where.

The sound of chittering from Rufus drew Ron's attention.

"What'd ya find Rufus ?" Ron asked before looking at the titles of the books. "Applied Kinesiology ? Therapeutic Modalities ? Intermediate Chinese ? What kind of subjects are these ?!" he asked before scanning them as well. He even looked in the small cube-shaped fridge next to the table - nothing but bottled water and lots of chocolate bars in there.

Not wanting to overstay his welcome or arouse Vina's suspicions, Ron shoved the Ronnunicator in a pocket before he and Rufus headed back upstairs.

"I found him !" Ron stated as Vina walked down the stairs to the living room, "He was checking out the contents of that small fridge downstairs."

"Why ? Looking for more cheese ?" Vina replied snippily.

"I guess. He does have excellent senses for snackage." Ron replied, not quite looking at her while scratching his nose.

"_He's trying to be deceptive_. _How droll_." Vina noted to herself before replying "Whatever. I suppose I'll be seeing you at school tomorrow then ?"

"Yeah. And I'll see if I can get our project down to fifteen minutes. The garage is out this way, right ?"

"Huh ? Oh, right ! I put your scooter in the garage !" Vina replied before finding the remote and pushing the button to open the door.

_Scene : Kim and Ron's usual booth at Bueno Nacho_

"The place _looks_ completely normal KP", Ron began, "but the basement ! Man, that was disturbing AND suspicious ! Although I must admit that Vina was quite generous with the snackage !"

"Well, a martial artist having a collection of martial arts weapons isn't too weird, Ron" Kim stated, "but you said she had a mannequin with dots on it ? Why would anyone have something like that ?"

"I don't know, but I swear I've seen something like that before somewhere before ..." Ron stated while deep in thought, "but the bobble head dolls ! Creepy !" he continued with a shudder.

"I'll take your word for that, Ron !" Kim stated with a grimace before looking at the Kimmunicator's screen, "So, Wade, did anything show up on Ron's scans ?"

"No. But that is suspicious." Wade replied.

"Really ? How so ?"

"Their house was built ten years ago in a style very popular at the time. So the floorplans and such are readily available." Wade replied, "Their basement is ten feet narrower than it should be."

"So you think they could have some secret rooms in there ?" Kim asked with a grin.

"They could, since there are no obvious doors going to it. And the scan didn't detect soil or usual rock."

"I KNEW they were up to something !" Kim replied with malevolent glee, "Now if we could just get to those secret rooms !"

"Uh, right KP." Ron answered while looking a little weirded out, "So , Wade, did you figure out what those books were ? What IS 'kinesiology' ? It sounds dangerous and suspicious to me !"

"Kinesiology is just the study of how humans move, Ron." Wade replied, "It's studied by people going for a degree in physical therapy. Which agrees with Tina Rossum's transcript I retrieved from Middleton Community College."

"Wait - she's training to be a physical therapist ?" Ron asked, "Why ? So she can heal people as easily as she can hurt them ?"

"Or hurt them more effectively !" Kim noted, "What better way to learn how to hurt humans than to study how their bodies work up close and personal ? In classes taught by people trying to teach that information !"

"Uh, right KP." Ron answered, "So, Wade, did you find out anything about that video game ?"

"Well, I did some rummaging through Nakasumi Corp's databases. They WERE working on a video game titled 'Crepuscular Knights of Tenebrae', and it was canned back in May. Those databases were hacked into a month ago."

"What ? A month ago ? How come nobody said anything ?" Kim asked.

"Nobody noticed." Wade replied with a shrug, "It was a skillful job, and there isn't much security on dead and abandoned projects."

"And Vina said her sister gave the game 'adaptive artificial intelligence'. Isn't that what Doctor Porter was working on for your dad KP ?" stated Ron.

"Yeah. Computers that think and adapt ! Like the ones at the Robot Rumble !" Kim replied as a horrid idea formed in her mind, "Wait - the reason the Bebes could have gotten so smart is because they are using programming from a DEFUNCT VIDEO GAME ?! "

"The game may have gone nowhere Kim," Wade stated, "but the programming is still useful. As far as the program is concerned, a detailed simulation and reality are indistinguishable. So given enough memory, data and time, the Bebebots should be able to use those programs to devise strategies and counter-strategies against anything the world could throw at them."

"That is not a comforting thought Wade !" Kim stated before asking "How much better do you think the Bebebots could get ?"

"Technically, there is no limit to how good they can get Kim." Wade replied, "Every time they lose a battle or fail, they can alter their strategy a bit and try again, and keep trying until they find something that works. Given enough trials and Bebebots ..."

"... they can become invincible !" Kim replied flatly, "Which means we have to take all of them out now, once and for all !"

_Scene : Rossum household's living room. Vina is freaking out to Nina and Tina_

"... and he keeps that hairless creature in his pocket AT. ALL. TIMES !!"

"I'm so sorry Vina !" Nina stated in a very contrite tone before giving her a hug, "If I had known, I would never have exposed you to such a stressful situation !"

"It's okay !" Vina replied after a few deep breaths, "Just seeing that creature so unexpectedly activated a few memory files is all. I was able to maintain composure."

"Then my trust in your capabilities was well founded !" Nina replied with a gentle smile, "Now then, I believe the security system logs may be quite informative."

"Wait a minute - the security system was active ?" Vina asked.

"Of course it was." Nina responded, "Did you seriously believe we would leave you unprotected for any reason ?"

Vina just smiled in reply.

"Well, this is odd - Ronald appears to have some sort of transponder device somewhere on his person." Nina replied as the data displayed on the big screen TV.

"What's a 'transponder device' ?" Vina asked.

Nina thought for a few moments as to how best explain. "It is a small device about half the size of a grain of rice. Veterinarians use them to keep data on their animals by implanting them under the skin. The variant Ronald is using appears to be just a tracker."

"Given what he and Kim do in their spare time" Tina stated, "having such a device makes sense. If one of them is kidnapped, the other can find them easily."

"So does this mean that Kim has one too ?" Vina asked, "If we can find the signature for that one, Kim will never be able to sneak up on us !"

"It would be logical and to her advantage to have such a device," Nina replied deep in thought, "but she would probably feel that she doesn't need such an advantage, since she 'can do anything'."

"Too true." Vina replied as a display for all the hidden cameras in the house were displayed on the screen.

Vina watched the video replay of Ron the moment she left to get two cans of root beer from the garage.

"Why did you go to the garage ?" Tina asked, "We had plenty of sodas in the kitchen fridge when I left."

"I took them all out earlier so I'd have an excuse to leave him alone for a few minutes." Vina replied, "And look at that ! He had to call Kim for instructions less than TEN SECONDS after I left ! She must be keeping that boy on a very short leash ! Not really surprising though !"

Tina and Nina gave each other a slightly worried look; Vina's analysis of personalities and talent for pure underhandedness could get Quite Scary sometimes.

"An amusing comm device he was using." Nina noted, "A variant of the 'Kimmunicator' device that Miss Possible carries."

"Can you figure out what frequency he was using ? Or what he and Kim were talking about ?" Vina asked.

"Yes to both." Nina replied with a satisfied smirk, "Since he took no countermeasures, we now know what frequency his device works at, and what they were saying. Hmm - he seems overly impressed by your game system V."

"Not available in this country until Christmas." Vina replied, "So I told him about you taking short-term contracts."

"Truth is a most effective cover story." Tina noted sagely.

"Uh, yeah." Vina noted as the recording of her presentation began. Nina fast forwarded until something new happened.

"You were talking about music for a whole hour ?" Nina noted with one eyebrow raised.

"Sorry. My core drive for perfection must've taken hold when I was working on the project."

"No harm done, since he appears to have accepted your explanation." Nina noted, "Oh look - now he's in the basement looking at Tina's stuff. He seems interested in that practice dummy I modified for you T."

"Well, Curly IS a rather unusual item !" Tina stated proudly.

Vina and Nina looked at each other, trying to figure out what Tina was talking about until Nina groaned "Oh for crying out loud ! You named that thing after one of the stooges ?!"

"It has no hair, so I couldn't call it Larry or Mo !" Tina replied.

Nina blinked in confusion. "Why ?!" she asked in a strained voice and lax gesture.

"I spend a lot of time with that dummy on precision and speed drills. It just seemed fitting to give it a name."

Nina's right eye twitched a bit. "I don't HOW your mind works Tina, nor am I certain that I would ever want to !"

"As long as it DOES work." Vina noted. "He seems inordinately interested in 'Curly' though. Is there any chance he could figure out what it is ?"

"Unlikely. Only someone with intense training in classical martial arts - and not just beating up thugs - would have any idea that those are Snake points." Tina replied, "It's not like he's been to Japan or China where they teach such arts."

Vina became very quiet and very fidgety.

"Is there something you need to say ?" Tina asked in a very polite tone.

"You might get upset !" Vina squeaked timidly in reply.

"If it is important, would I not be MORE upset that you did not tell me now ?" Tina replied calmly, with no hint of anger in her voice, "And it is not in my nature to be upset. Especially with you."

"Very true. Now SPILL !" Nina interjected.

"Welllll, Bonnie mentioned that two years ago, Ron was an exchange student." Vina began, "He went to Japan for a week, while one quote 'major hottie !' unquote Hirotaka came here. And given the moves that Hirotaka used, Ron just might have had some experience with the martial arts."

"What kind of moves are we talking about here ?" Tina asked, starting to feel a bit concerned.

"According to Bonnie, he defeated the quarterback in a fight without actually touching him. He just bobbed and weaved until Brick got tired and fell over with just a push from Hirotaka's finger."

Tina thought for a moment. "That sounds like Liang I Shaolin Shadow Butterfly system. Did Bonnie mention what school Hirotaka attended ?"

"Uh, yeah. I think it had a 'Y' in the name. Yoramoochi ? Yamamama ? Yamanouchi ? Yes, that's it ! Yamanouchi ! Have you heard of it ?"

"It does not sound familiar to me." Tina replied, "But I shall ask Sifu Xu about it tomorrow."

Nina looked confused and, after adjusting her glasses, asked "The 'Shadow Butterfly system ?' Is that even a real art Tina ?"

"Yes, it is. It is a combination of Snake and Crane, neither of which attacks first. The idea is to tire your opponent out, and draw them into situations where they can hurt themselves. No attacks. No blocks, parries, or defenses. Just dodging and evasion.

But it takes someone very skilled in the arts to use it as effectively as Bonnie stated." Tina finished still deep in thought, "Very few people have the dedication to learn such an art, and few places teach it. This situation deserves closer examination."

"I suspect that it is best that I do some research on the Yamanouchi school then." Nina noted, wondering just how common a name 'Hirotaka' is in Japan. "I am starting to believe that stationing us in Middleton was the best idea The Three has ever had ! This situation with Ronald is a classic 'Human Factor' scenario ! What are the odds that the only person we'd let in our house may know what Snake points are, and possibly uncover our mission ?"

"About the same that Vina would uncover a useful bit of information when she was not even searching for one ?" Tina offered.

Nina actually computes the odds. "That is approximately correct, within an order of magnitude."

With that, Tina headed for the basement to start the day's training, while Vina headed up to her room to practice her scales on guitar and violin.

With the living room quiet, Nina used the tranquility (and her wireless laptop) to check through her email accounts, and see if there were any intrusion attempts, since Wade had been back online for hours now.

The first check at her account at the Middleton Space Center revealed that someone had accessed her accounts, but hadn't changed any of the data. But whoever it was had copied the 'Hansel' file.

Checking her home computer revealed that someone had attempted to hack into it, but thanks to the Simulacrum program she had running, the intruder had actually hacked into a computer generated SIMULATION of her computer system ! Good thing too - they had installed a spybot program to record every key she pressed, and every bit of data she accessed from that computer.

She decided to leave the spybot in place, since it was embedded in the Simulacrum instead of the real system. She could use the real system all she wanted, and the Simulacrum would report to its owner only what she permitted it to.

Nina started chuckling the moment she noted the intruder had also made the fatal error of copying the 'Gretel' file.

'Hansel' and 'Gretel', by themselves, do nothing; but if they should ever be in the same computer at the same time, they generate a rootkit virus that replaces a key file used by nearly every other program in memory.

A side effect of Nina's genius is that any system infected with H & G is twelve percent more efficient; the _desired_ effect is that any system infected with H & G is under Nina's direct and absolute control.

Nina quickly checked through a dozen public messageboards, looking for the note H & G sends the moment its job is done.

And there on the 'Robots R Cool !' messageboard was a post from 'Brother Grimm', an innocent, rambling missive about nothing and everything. By doing a simple calculation on the first and last letter of every other word, Nina quickly deciphered the encrypted message relaying the IP address of the system now infected with H & G, and the password to get in.

Within a few seconds, Nina had gone to the address and entered the password.

A malicious grin crossed her face.

"Hello Wade !" she said to herself once she noted whose computer she now controlled. She cracked her knuckles and began rummaging through every file and directory she could find.

"Oooo ! Quite a bit on Yamanouchi ! How convenient !" she thought to herself, "But who the frell is this Yori person Wade was doing research on ?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 : A Lesser vs A Greater Darkness**

_Scene : basement of the Rossum household, where Tina is practicing her martial arts. She moves into the fluid and flowing stance of San She Quan (Three Snakes Fist kung fu), arms moving in broad, coiling arcs. She presses her fingers against each other and slightly curves them, her hands' shape imitating that of a snake's head. With a whipping motion from her spine, she began rapidly striking the yellow spots on the mannequin with the tips of her well braced middle fingers. Even the ones on the legs and ankles, while still maintaining perfect balance._

"_It is fortunate Curly isn't alive_," Tina thought to herself as she began hitting the red sequence of spots,"_otherwise he'd REALLY be complaining about the pain, spasms and paralysis these strikes would be causing _!"

She started the black series, bobbing and weaving while still striking all spots. Then the same three sets in the same order using kicks, hitting even the spots on the neck and head.

After several minutes of working on the speed and precision drills of cobra form, she changed her stance slightly to begin the joint-twisting and breaking drills of her personal favorite : the python forms.

She had only been practicing for less than a minute before all the lights flared, then went out, then back on. She heard Nina shriek from upstairs, then use some Japanese words too foul to be listed in any polite dictionary.

Taking the stairs three steps at a time, Tina rushed upstairs to see what had happened. Nina was sitting on the couch, with her hair blown back, covered in soot, and holding a still smoking keyboard.

"Are you all right ?" Tina asked. Nina nodded silently.

Vina tripped rushing down the stairs, but recovered her balance before she hurt herself.

"What just happened ?" she asked.

"HE SPIKED ME !" Nina answered in a cold rage, "THAT VINDICTIVE LITTLE TOAD SPIKED ME !"

Tina and Vina looked at each other as they tried to figure out who 'that vindictive little toad' was. "You mean Wade ? What did you do to offend him _this_ time ?" Tina asked.

"I competently defended myself that's what !" Nina replied, "I thought he might try something once he got his computers back, so I put out some traps. He fell into them, and then spiked me ! The boy does NOT take a hint ! After the Feds confiscate their stuff, most _rational_ people would develop the common sense to leave me alone ! What would he do to a girlfriend if she dared say 'no' to him ?!"

"Hmmm - he'd probably employ some sort of emotional control device on her to ensure she wouldn't, most likely." Vina replied after a few moments' thought before heading off to the bathroom to get a damp cloth for Nina.

"_But, that was a rhetorical question !" _Nina muttered to herself, slightly boggled.

"So, what exactly happened this time ?" Tina asked, breaking Nina out of her confused state.

"Oh, right ! Someone hacked into my accounts at the space center," Nina began, "but I didn't know who - they left no trail to follow. Someone had also hacked into my net-surfing computer and tried to plant a spybot. Again, they left no trail, so I didn't know who did it. Or even if it was the same person that hacked into my space center account.

However, both the Hansel and Gretel files had been copied. If the same person copied both programs, then they would be on the receiving end of poetic justice by having their system fully open to me.

You can imagine my surprise when H and G told me whose computer they had taken over !" Nina finished as she took the damp cloth Vina brought her.

After wiping her face and smoothing her hair back down, Nina continued "I knew that Wade would figure out something was up very quickly, so I had to act fast. So I rummaged through as many files on his hard drive as I could BEFORE HE SPIKED ME !"

"Did you at least get to find anything useful ?" Vina asked.

"I checked his system for any mention of 'Yamanouchi'. There was one, but not in reference to Hirotaka ! It seems Wade had once performed a background check on some girl named Yori for some reason. She also attended Yamanouchi."

"Golly ! So Kim IS in the habit of requesting background checks on random people ! Freaky !" Vina squeaked in reply.

"Yes, indeed. But the odd thing was that Yori had no school records DESPITE the fact that she attended school. From the looks of it, Wade had to access secret school files to discover anything at all."

"It appears that we are not the only ones with a plot in the works then, sister." Tina noted sagely, "Why would a secret school exchange students with an average public school, unless they were up to something ? And why would it involve Ronald ?"

"Oh great !" Vina cried, "So not only must we keep an eye on Team Possible so they they don't kill us, PLUS keep up our cover stories so OTHER folk won't discover our secret and kill us, but NOW we have to worry about what an unknown group with unknown motives and unknown capabilities - with some interest in Kim's best friend Ron - is up to ! What do we do now ?!"

Nina thinks for a moment. "Continue on as before, but keep our eyes open for any additional weirdness. If the folk at Yamanouchi wish to _influence_ events instead of merely _observe_ them, they must reveal their hand sooner or later."

"Did you at least find out where Yamanouchi is ?" Tina asked, "Or what was so special about Yori that Kim felt it necessary to do a background check on her ?"

"No. All I was able to find out was what I told you BEFORE MY KEYBOARD CAUGHT ON FIRE !" Nina replied, gesturing wildly.

"Wait - the only way you could've gotten into Wade's systems was if he was in ours first and caught your defensive computer virus!" Vina noted anxiously, "Did he find out about OUR mission ?"

"No. I keep nothing about our mission on any net accessible computer." Nina replied coldly, "Even Wade can't hack into a system not ON the net.

As far as he can know, I'm just a competent computer programmer with the temerity to fight back."

She paused briefly before grinning maniacally, "But I have not yet begun to fight back ! If he thinks his tech and computer programming skills will avail him against the line taps, splices, signal intercepts and tech mites I can inflict upon him ..."

"Nina, please. No." Tina stated, "Fighting back is an action. Actions beget reactions. ANY response you make will only provoke him further. We don't need that sort of attention. So please - break the cycle. Allow the waters to grow still once more. As Sifu said : 'The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. Through this I know the advantage of taking no action.' "

"What ARE you talking about ?" Nina fumed, "Waters growing still and taking no action ? More of your koans ?! Are you actually suggesting that I do ... Nothing ?! Just let him get away with this ?!" she continued, shaking the still smoking keyboard in front of Tina's face.

Tina sighs. "Yes. Once you've disturbed a hornet's nest, swatting at them only makes them angrier. Tell me - does this feud further our actual mission ? Is such behavior logical ?"

Nina was still and silent a few moments before growling "No. But spiking me for defending myself is NOT rational ! Doing nothing to correct such uncouth behaviour seems too much like rewarding it !"

"I know this can't be easy for you Nina," Vina states, "but I agree with Tina. I think fighting back isn't the best strategy at the moment. You are laboring under the false premise that humans are rational. Even THEY know they aren't ! As Dale Carnegie noted : 'When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice, and motivated by pride and vanity.' Wade prides himself on his computer skills; your resistance dented his ego. Thus he had to do _something_ to reinforce his high opinion of himself. I'm sure that once Wade has reasserted his 'dominance' and 'superiority' over you," she continued, using air quotes as needed, "he should leave you alone, and we can continue our mission unaccosted.

So, your choices are : to simply let it go. Or you can keep it up, and probably face something much worse than a power spike the next time !"

Nina flinched slightly, recalling that Wade had trapped other _humans_ inside a LETHAL laser grid for spiking him. And they were defending themselves against his illegal trace !

Nina stood there as she tried to think, looking like she'd swallowed a whole lemon, repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fists while her sisters looked at her expectantly.

"Oh, very well !" Nina finally conceded before raising one hand. "I swear that I shall NOT rain unholy vengeance down upon his nerdish head. No matter how justified such an act may be." she stated before gesturing what looked like a triangle inside of a circle then a sine wave. "Happy now ?"

Tina raised an eyebrow. "Uhm, yeah, I guess so. What was that gesture ?"

"Oh, that." Nina replied dismissively, "I have observed that the humans, when swearing they fully intend to do something, invoke the symbol of their gods to demonstrate that they are sincere. As we have no gods to swear to, I just threw something together. We are three working as one, while the sine wave symbolizes electricity, sound, or other cyclical phenomenon that we embody and employ."

"Oh... kay." Tina noted before continuing with a faint smile, "Gesturing is a human tendency, Nina. Have you been picking up their quirks when we weren't looking ?"

Nina merely glared at her for a few moments, while Tina just smirked back.

"My oh my, it's gotten so tense in here !" Vina piped up after an uncomfortably long silence, "How about we go out to unwind ? It's karaoke night at that new bistro at the mall !" she finished in a sing-song tone.

A faint smile flickered across Nina's face. "That would be nice. Thank you. Give me a few minutes to clean up first."

_Scene : a small club at the Middleton Mall, across the foyer from the movie theatres, which are just letting out._

"They call that an action movie ?!" Ron groused to Kim, "We do riskier things at least once a week !"

"That's an unfortunate side effect of all the world-saving we do, Ron." Kim replied, "Real ninjas probably feel the same way about kung fu movies."

"Well, I'd guess so. And we actually know a few we can ask." Ron answered before noticing the off-key singing coming from somewhere in the mall.

"When they did they start having karaoke night ?" Kim asked.

"WHY did they start having karaoke night ?" Ron replied as the enthusiastic singer hit his last off key note and left the stage.

"Hey Ron ! Look who else is there !" Kim stated, pointing to a table near the front of the club while ducking for cover behind a column.

"That's Vina and her sisters !" Ron noted, "Wait, I thought karaoke was singing, not playing a musical instrument ?"

"It doesn't look like she brought that shape-shifting guitar thing with her this time." Kim noted as she watched the Rossums.

Then Nina got up and walked onto the stage, took the mic, and waited for the music to start.

Kim and Ron cringed with anticipation as Styx's "Come Sail Away" started, and Nina began to sing :

"_I'm sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea_

_I've got to be free, free to face the life that's ahead of me_

_On board, I'm the captain, so climb aboard_

_We'll search for tomorrow on every shore_

_And I'll try, oh Lord, I'll try to carry on ..."_

"Wow ! She's got a great voice KP !" Ron noted.

"Yeah, but she's just ... standing there !" Kim noted, "Most people gesture. Or move to the music. Or something."

"Not everyone has as much stage presence as you do KP." Ron noted while observing the antics of Nina's sisters as they tried to encourage her.

"Thanks Ron. But I would've expected at least SOME stage presence ! Being that still is just, well, weird !"

Once Nina finished singing, she headed back to her table to the lukewarm applause from most of the audience; Vina was whistling, clapping and cheering much more enthusiastically.

After the karaoke contest was over - and someone else had won - both Vina and Tina headed off deeper into the mall. Vina turned left, while Tina turned right to take the stairs.

"You have a pretty good voice," Kim stated as she and Ron headed over to sit at a table next to Nina, "but you could really use some work on your stage presence."

"I sing for my pleasure, not business." Nina stated in a condescending tone, "If I worried and fretted about doing it 'properly', it wouldn't be fun anymore.

So, you must be the illustrious Kim Possible and Ronald Stoppable I have heard so much about. Are you two stalking us or something ?"

"Certainly not !" Kim replied huffily, "The movie let out and we heard you singing, and decided to be sociable !"

Nina glanced down the hallway towards the multiplex theatre and noted the open doors and the few people still milling about. "_Well, that IS a plausible explanation_._ But that doesn't mean that she and her informal, infernal team may not as yet be up to something ..._" she noted to herself as she took a sip from her wine glass. As an android, she doesn't have human biochemistry; she can derive electrical power from the degradation of any organic substance, but nothing else. Alcohol can't make her drunk, caffeine can't make her hyper, and not even chocolate or ice cream can improve her mood or relieve her stress levels. For that, she and her sisters require a focusing hobby. Vina has her music, Tina has her martial arts, and Nina - for some unfathomable reason - has karaoke.

"Your efforts at socialization are acknowledged and appreciated, if not entirely understood." Nina stated while raising her glass to Kim and Ron, "I was under the impression that you suspected us of some sort of nefarious scheme. Has that opinion recently changed ?"

"Not really." Kim replied icily, "My intuition tells me that you and your sisters are up to something. I just don't know WHAT. Yet. But that doesn't mean I can't be civil or polite."

"Hmmm. A completely honest and candid response. How refreshing." Nina stated flatly, glaring at Kim. Who returned it with equal scorn.

"Soooo ... you're into karaoke ?" Ron asked to break the tension, "Why would a cybernetics researcher be into something like karaoke ? Something high brow like opera, I could see. But karaoke ?"

"Opera houses never have an open mic night." Nina deadpanned, "As to why I sing ? It is something I do when I am stressed. 'The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play'. And I have a very complex mind."

"Was that some sort of ancient Chinese wisdom ?" Ron asked, "I know I've heard something like that before."

"Actually, it was from one of those interminable science fiction programs that I occassionally peruse for ideas. _Star Trek_, episode 'Shore Leave', stardate 3025.8"

"_Oh joy !" _Kim groused to herself, "_She sounds almost as bad as cousin Larry !"_

Before Kim or Ron could ask any more questions, the wall out by the movie theatres disintegrated in a blast of light and flame.

Three old model Bebebots strode through the carnage and looked around for a moment.

_"A triad of Generation One menial drones ?"_ Nina noted to herself,_ "What the heck are those antiques doing here ? The only thing they were ever good for was smash and grab missions."_

The two Bebebots at the back of the triad shook for a second as they powered up, then ran off so quickly they seemed to disappear.

"Bebebot Number Nine A" the remaining Bebebot stated to Nina as it began walking towards her, "Your mission is over. You will return with me to the Hive to be recycled. Comply at once."

Nina had the 'deer-caught-in-the-headlights' look as she stumbled back away from the Bebebot.

_"What IS that thing talking about ?"_ Nina fretted to herself as her processors red-lined, "_My mission CAN'T be over ! It's taken this long just to gather enough background data to even ATTEMPT to understand human thought processes !_

_Wait a minute - I'm part of a team ! If the Hive thinks MY mission is over, then that means ..._

_OH NO !! VINA !!"_ she continued, realizing that if SHE was to be recycled, so were her sisters ! She quickly realized that although she didn't stand much chance against the Neanderthalesque Bebebot before her, Tina could hold her own. But Vina could not.

Therefore, the logical thing to do was escape from the Bebebot trying to capture her, and help Vina. She also knew that Tina would have exactly the same ideas.

But every time she tried to get around the Bebebot, it kept somersaulting in front of her, or using its extendable reach to block her !

Meanwhile, Kim and Ron had tipped over the table and ducked behind it the moment the Bebebots made their explosive entrance, and so were in a perfect position to watch and overhear everything.

"Uhm, KP ? Did that new Bebebot just call Nina 'Bebebot Number Nine A' ?" Ron whispered to Kim as they watched.

"Yes, it did ! I KNEW there was something up with them ! I'm almost always right about these things !" Kim replied as she began formulating a plan of attack.

"But if Nina's a Bebebot, why is she running AWAY FROM that other one ?" Ron asked as he watched Nina dive under tables and run, trying to get around and away from the Bebebot. Which frustrated her at every turn by making impossibly long jumps to continuously cut off her escape.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out !" Kim replied, "Since the Bebebots are busy out front, you get everyone safely out the back while I deal with Miss Retrobot there !"

"Gotcha KP !" Ron replied with a thumbs up, before he headed to the back to help the panicked customers out.

Nina dived under a table and scrambled away just before the Bebebot smashed through it to get to her. But although Nina evaded the strike, she did not escape the Bebebot's telescoping grasp. With a firm grip on Nina's belt, the Bebebot began to slowly reel her in.

"Bebebot Number Nine A : Why are you resisting ?" the Bebebot asked flatly as Nina tried to gain traction on the waxed floors, "Your mission is over. You have no further reason to exist."

"I strenuously disagree on both counts ! Leave me alone !" Nina shrieked as she futilely struggled to escape. As a last resort, she resorbed the biomimetic polymer skin on her hands and forearms, then used her telescoping grasp to entwine two bolted down barstools.

The drone Bebebot was completely undeterred; since it is strong enough to carry a fully loaded railway car several miles by itself, it knew that it was only a matter of seconds before either Nina's grasp gave out, or the plastic composite she was made from did.

"_Well, THAT'S something you don't see everyday ..._" Kim noted to herself as she watched the elastic conflict, before getting into position to attack.

With a loud whistle, she got their attention. "Now, I don't know what's going on here, but I do know at least ONE of you is long overdue for a visit to the scrapyard !"

The old model Bebebot looked at Kim, then simply released its grip on Nina in order to prepare a defense; but since Nina's arms were at full tension, they acted like taut bungee cords, propelling her ignominiously across the floor of the bistro and crashed her noisily into the busboy's full cart of dirty dishes.

Kim winced as the sound of breaking plates and rattling silverware died down.

The old model Bebebot dropped into a defensive stance, then began to shake as it powered up. Then disappeared !

"What ? It just ran away ?" Ron asked as he came back in through the back door.

"Well, that last batch of Bebes were quite a bit smarter than the old model." Kim answered as she looked around the now empty club, just in case the Bebebot was planning a sneak attack, "I guess it knew it had no chance going one-on-one against me.

Now, for the other one." she continued upon hearing the sound of dishes clattering on the floor.

It was Nina struggling to sit up as she retracted her hands one segment at a time, wincing in pain with each one. Kim noted that the panels Nina was made from were smoky grey plastic instead of metal or the stolen ceramic compound. And that a few segments looked cracked, and a few emitted sparks on occassion.

Once Nina's hands were back on her wrists, she flexed and wiggled her fingers to ensure the cybernetic pathways were still intact, then extruded the polymer back out through the seams and micropores in her panels. To Kim and Ron, it looked like Nina's skin reverse melted back onto her.

"Ewww. Majorly gorchy !" Kim squeaked while looking a bit blanched.

"Now THAT gives new meaning to the term 'skin-crawling' !" Ron stated as he tried to keep the contents of his stomach where they belonged.

"Okay BEBEBOT NUMBER NINE A", Kim began once she recovered, "would you like to explain just what is going on around here ?"

"No, not really." Nina replied flatly as she flicked some coffee grounds off her blouse, adjusted her glasses and tried to walk away.

Kim was boggled for just a second, before she groaned and blocked the way. "Excuse me, but I wasn't asking if you would LIKE to explain, I was asking you TO explain !"

"Then why did you not simply state the query in that manner ?" Nina replied, knowing full well what Kim meant, but trying to stall. The more time she had to think, the better the plan she could come up with.

Her conversation with Kim was interrupted when Tina ran up to them and asked "Is Vina here ?"

"No. I thought she'd be with you. What happened ?"

"I was up by the Bric-A-Brac Barn" Tina began, "when an old model Bebebot appeared in front of me, told me the mission is over, and I was to be recycled. I figured they would be after you and V as well, so I went to help Vina.

But that 'bot kept getting in the way ! I was able to evade it and keep moving, and I got to the music store. Eventually. When I didn't see a panicked mob in front, I figured that Vina must be at the arcade. So I tried to get to there. The Bebe jumped in front of me, then just disappeared. Why would it do that ?"

"Simple, really." Nina replied, looking pale and very distraught, "They weren't expecting resistance. As an obligate hive-mind, if one of them was destroyed, the remaining two would be too stupid to finish the mission. Thus, the logical thing to do was take who they had and retreat, rather than risk complete mission failure by staying to fight."

"Better to steal a slice of bread and live, than try for the whole loaf and die ?" Tina asked.

"That is one way of putting it, yes."

Kim was about to start asking the sisters some questions when the Kimmunicator activated.

"Can't the sitch sit, Wade ?" Kim stated the moment Wade's image flickered on the screen, "I kind of have a major one going down right now !"

"I don't think so Kim." Wade replied, "It looks like Bebebots are back in force !"

"I figured as much, since I was in the mall when three of them blasted in !"

"But that's just ONE of nine crimes the Bebebots are responsible for !"

Kim blanched slightly. "Wait a minute - there were NINE attacks ? When and where did all this happen ?"

"All over the world. And if you take time zones into account, all the incidents happened at exactly the same time !"

"I guess they had more than one Hive then." Kim groused as Ron came over to see what was going on, "So what else did they do ?"

"Let's see," Wade stated as he checked the listing, "they stole a genomic editor and neuroprobes from a government lab in Los Angeles, tons of plastics and tubing from a company in Texas, computer chips from a factory in San Bernadino, some nutrient solution and other media for cell biology from a major supplier in Saint Louis, fiber optics from a supplier in Tokyo, and a large quantity of high quality experimental glass from a university in Venice. They also carted off various rocket parts and fuel from the Kagoshima Launch Facility in Japan, and beat the snot out of Team Go !"

Kim and Ron blinked a few times. "They beat up Team Go ?! Why ? That doesn't fit with rest of their crimes !" Kim asked.

"What the heck is going on ?" Ron asked, "Man, this plot is more twisted and convoluted than Drakken's Diablo plot !"

"No kidding ! But at least _this_ time we can get some answers before it gets underway !" Kim replied, gesturing towards the bench Nina and Tina were sitting on. Nina looked majorly distressed, and Tina was trying to calm her down.

"The Others have taken our sister !" Nina fretted to Tina, "We have to get her back ! We are not complete without her !"

"Of course. Harmony and balance must be restored. Do you have a plan ?"

"I have a few to choose from. But the choice must be a logical one, arrived at through logical means."

"Life and death are seldom logical." Tina noted.

"But attaining a desired goal always is." Nina replied before she sighed heavily and stated "And for attaining our desired goal, there is only one option that I can see that has any realistic chance of success."

"Then that is the option that we shall use." Tina replied as Kim and Ron came over.

"All right you two !" Kim began, "I have questions ! You will answer them ! NOW !"

"We will answer any and all questions put to us to the best of our ability." Nina stated plainly, "All that we ask in return is that you rescue Vina."

"Heh ? And just why should I do that ?" Kim asked incredulously.

"Because, Miss Possible, you help people." Nina stated with a forced smile, " And we need help !"

"But you're NOT PEOPLE !" Kim replied, "You're evil robots bent on world domination !"

"Well, even we are not perfect, Miss Possible." Nina replied with a shrug, "And why should the fact that we are robots make a difference ? Would you be so reluctant to help if we were human ? You rescued your worst enemy - Bonnie Rockwaller - from the Bebebots before. Would it really be that much different for you to help Vina now ?"

"At least Bonnie is human."

"Well, we did help S.A.D.I. when she asked you to rescue Doctor Freeman, and she's not a person." Ron interjected.

"But Doctor Freeman IS !" Kim replied, "And S.A.D.I. and the other appliances were not trying to take over the world !"

"Excuse me, but our life-form status or supposed ultimate goal are of little relevance to the present situation, Miss Possible." Nina stated, "You want to find the Bebebots and stop whatever they are up to, correct ?"

"Well, yeah !"

"The Others will take Vina to the closest Hive to disassemble her for recycling. We can find our sister anywhere on the planet."

"So, you can tell us where they took her then ?" Kim asked.

"Correct. Since you are planning to go anyway, it shouldn't be much more effort for you to retrieve Vina while you're at it."

Kim looked doubtful. "Why are you being so helpful ? I know you don't like me !"

"Tina and I want our sister back." Nina began, "Though I am loath to admit this, you are probably the only person on the planet that can successfully return her to us quickly enough. Therefore, the only logical thing to do is to help you in any way we can, by giving you whatever aid we are capable of providing. How we feel about you is of no importance; the only relevant factor right now is Vina's safety."

"Well, she's got several good points there KP." Ron whispered to her, "After all, those superfast Bebes did take your advice as to who the bossiest person on the planet was, and they didn't like you much either !"

Kim mulled it over for a few moments. "So, Nine A, can you tell me what kind of defenses they would have ? I'm not getting anywhere NEAR another Bebebot hive without some solid intel about what I'm facing !"

"Sorry, but no. We were not provided with that information." Nina replied, "The Hives were constructed after our assignment began."

"You seriously expect me to believe that you don't know ?" Kim stated, "You Bebebots are all part of a hive mind. What one knows, all know. So that means you know something ! Now spill !"

"But my sisters and I are not part of the hive mind !" Nina replied in a quavering voice, "During the initial training of my neural nets back at the South American hive, I determined early on that most efficient way to solve a problem is to study it from many different points of view.

Members of a hive mind do not have different points of view.

Therefore, I was able to convince The Three that it would be more efficient to create us as individuals." Nina continued, "Besides, with no link between us and the hive, we are not a security risk. Since we don't know what The Three are up to, it is impossible for us to compromise their mission; no amount of torture or hacking of our memory files can retrieve data that is not there. That's WHY spy agencies use the 'need to know' system with agents that have a high risk of capture or discovery."

"Well, I guess that makes sense ..." Kim noted, still suspicious of their motives.

"Miss Possible, if you could tell us _exactly_ what happened at the last Bebebot hive you were in," Tina stated, "Nina can probably predict what upgrades the Others may have."

"Why are we wasting time talking when Vina is in trouble ?!" Nina whispered to Tina while Kim and Ron were mulling over their options.

"Kim said she would not do the mission _unless she knows what she is facing_." Tina replied, "That is most wise. It also means that she is considering helping us."

"No, it does not !" Nina replied, "It only means she would accept our advice to destroy a Bebebot Hive; it does NOT mean she will rescue Vina while she is at it !"

"Miss Possible is a hero." Tina stated, smiling like she was explaining something to a small child, "Her sense of duty and honor will not allow her to do anything but rescue Vina, now that she knows what 'the sitch' actually is."

"You have too much faith in the organics and their 'duty' and 'honor'." Nina spat, "From my study of their history and science fiction programs, most of them feel they are duty or honor bound to destroy or enslave our kind !"

"What other choice do we have ?" Tina replied with a shrug as Kim and Ron finished talking between themselves.

"All right, we've decided to rescue your 'sister' Vina," Kim reluctantly stated, "but you three are going to tell us EVERYTHING you know when we get back !"

"That is quite acceptable !" Tina replied, since Nina was too stunned to say anything for a moment.

During the drive home, Kim and Ron filled Nina and Tina in on what happened at the Kansas hive. Nina interlaced her fingers and thought for a few seconds.

"I have good news and bad news." she stated plainly, then waited for one of them to reply.

"What's the good news ?" Kim finally asked.

"Given they came so close to actually defeating you that time, they have no need to upgrade their strength, speed, weaponry or intellect." Nina stated, still deep in thought, "If anything, they would reduce the power of their sonic weapon so it could be used faster.

The only reason they even came close to defeating you is because you didn't realize they had upgraded their intellect; now that you know, I'm sure you can find a way to deal with more competent opponents."

Kim nodded silently, for she was thinking of ways to deal with them. "_Come to think of it, those Bebes weren't much stronger or faster or even smarter than normal humans_." Kim noted to herself, "_Nina's right - the only reason they got the jump on me was because I didn't know they were actually competent ! And they don't know about the supersuit - if they haven't upgraded their strength and speed, they won't stand a chance against it !_"

"You're sure they wouldn't have upgraded their strength or speed ?" Kim had to ask.

"Why would they ?" Tina replied, "You don't use a cannon to shoot a mosquito. The current Bebebots are all about efficiency : if human normal strength and speed are enough to get the job done, that's all they'll use. Enhanced strength and speed and such require large powerplants. So large in fact there is hardly enough room for brains in their bodies !"

"Oh, so THAT'S why they always show up in groups of three !" Ron stated, "They only have one functional brain between them !"

"Hrmmm. More or less." Nina replied crabbily.

"So, what's the bad news ?" Ron had to ask.

"The only reason you were able to get to the machinery to sabotage it, distracting them and saving Kim, was because they did not consider you a threat Ron." Nina replied, "They will NOT make that mistake again.

Therefore, their most logical response would be to use suppression fire, and summon help the moment they see either one of you two inside the hive, since a swarm attack came so close to working the last time."

"_Hmmm - this is actually _useful_ information _!" Kim noted to herself, "_There may be something else here ..."_

"I suppose the old hypersonic emission trick won't work on them any more then ?" Kim asked while coming up with some ideas.

"Difficult to say." Nina replied, "It would depend upon the operational parameters of the model you are facing. If they have superhuman capabilities, then they MUST remain in contact with each other, and are thus vulnerable to jamming. If they have normal human capabilities, then they have enough brainpower to function independently, and the mindlink is an optional advantage."

Kim thought for a moment. "So, it's a trade off then ? Either they have superhuman abilities and a hypersonic pulse harms them, or they have normal human abilities, and are immune to it ?"

"Correct."

"Can't they just adapt ?" Ron asked, "Wade figured there was no limit to how far they could adapt."

"Are you claiming that stunted troll would know more about Bebebot capabilities and limitations than I would ?" Nina replied haughtily, "The most efficient way they could adapt against jamming AND keep their superhuman abilities would be to develop an extraordinarily small and powerful generator. The laws of physics can only be bent so far, and _as of yet_, they have no need to do such a thing. They may change the frequency they communicate on, but the fact that they MUST communicate to remain functional renders them permanently vulnerable to jamming. All they can do is make that particular task difficult to do."

"Sorry ! Erm, she's still majorly tweaked at Wade for spiking her computer system earlier today !" Tina stated with a sheepish grin the moment both Kim and Ron turned and gave Nina very dirty looks in response to that 'stunted troll' comment.

"Whatever. You said you could track where they took Vina." Kim finally stated, "How ?"

"We have something like built-in cellphones." Nina replied, "They are all that remain of our old mind link. They work on a unique frequency. All we have to do is try to contact her on that frequency, and we can implement a signal trace. I believe that is how the Others found us at the mall."

"So why don't you just do that now ?" Ron asked.

"Because we don't have that capability built into our systems !" Nina replied, "But I do have the needed equipment back in my home laboratory. Miss Possible, could you please drop us off there so we may equip for the mission ..."

"What makes you think you're coming with us ?" Kim stated coldly.

"Who gave you the authority to deny us the chance to help our sister ?!" Nina fumed.

"Me and Ron are a team," Kim began, "I KNOW I can count on him during the mission; I don't trust EITHER of you two. This could be a trap, you could betray us at the first opportunity, or abandon us in the middle of the Bebebot hive the second we find Vina.

So you are NOT coming along !"

After taking a few breaths to calm down, Kim continued "I said I would rescue Vina, and I will. The most help you two can be is a source of information. Now, is there anything else you can tell us to improve our chances of successfully completing the rescue mission ?"

"Not that I can think of." Nina replied, swearing under her breath as Kim contacted Wade.

"What's up Kim ?" he replied as the screen in Kim's car activated.

"I have a lead on a Bebebot hive, so I need you to do a signal trace." Kim stated, "And contact Global Justice. I have some 'people' that need watching."

"What is the meaning of this, Miss Possible ?" Nina hissed at Kim, "Are you betraying us already ?"

"CERTAINLY NOT !" Kim replied, "I need to focus on the mission, and I can't do that if I have to worry about what you two are up to. So I want you to stay with GJ until I get back. Think of it as protective custody."

Nina tried to reply, but was so angry no words could form.

"Please sister, be calm." Tina stated to her, "The tree that does not bend is easily broken. If going along with Miss Possible's suggestions will get Vina back, then we should comply." Nina just sulked in response.

"Mister Load," Tina stated formally, "The signal you need to trace has a frequency of five point five three terahertz. Begin searching now ..."

Wade looked to Kim, who nodded. "Okay then, searching and ... there ! I have a lock !

Well, that's odd. The signal's coming from Kansas. From that Bebebot hive you and Ron destroyed last week !"

Kim glared suspiciously at Tina and Nina. "Care to explain that ?"

"What better place for them to hide than someplace you've already searched and destroyed ?" Tina replied, "Only the most foolish of mice would hide in a lion's ear ..."

"... but only the wisest of lions would ever think to look there !" Ron finished as Kim rolled her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 : A Few Answers as Phase II begins **

_**Scene : **__a sparsely furnished conference room at the Global Justice headquarters [Western Division. Tina is practicing the slow, focused movements of T'ai Chi Chuan, trying to center (but not doing too well from anxiety over Vina's situation), while Nina is pacing the room while quietly singing to herself to calm down._

_"As long as she doesn't start with the death metal tunes or 'Banned From Argo', we should be fine ..." _Tina noted to herself as Nina stomped past a large chalkboard with the results of last week's sports betting pool still scrawled on it. For the fourth time.

"Must you pace like that, sister ?" Tina finally had to ask with a slight edge to her voice, "It isn't helping anyone. The Tao Teh Ching teaches that 'Stillness benefits more than action; silence benefits more than words. Rare indeed are those who are still. Rare indeed are those who are silent. Rare indeed are those who obtain the bounty of this world.' "

"And rare indeed are those who can put up with your CONSTANT dispensing of ancient 'wisdoms' at inappropriate times !" Nina shrieked at her, slamming her fist on the table, "How can you tolerate just staying here in this cramped little room, doing those exercises of yours while our little sister is in mortal danger ?!"

"How many times has Team Possible ever failed ?" Tina replied calmly, without pausing or wavering even slightly.

"Well, there's always a first time for everything !" Nina replied snippily, "And Vina is OUR little sister ! WE should be the ones out there trying to rescue her ! NOT Team Possible !"

"And, given our skills and abilities, how would such a mission most likely end ?" Tina calmly asked.

Nina thinks for a moment before glumly answering "In failure."

"Then please try to calm down. You have not failed in your duties as the eldest sister." Tina stated plainly, getting to the heart of what actually was bothering Nina, "You determined that Kim and Ronald were Vina's best hope, and that the most logical course of action was to enlist their aid. You managed to get the only two people in the world that could rescue her in time to help. That is the most _anyone_ could have done in this situation.

They will either succeed, or they will fail." she continued, "Nothing we do here will change the outcome, so there is no point pacing about. If the mission was beyond _their_ capabilities, what hope would we have had ?"

"None." Nina replied quietly, "But I think it would have been better if we tried anyway. At least our worries would be over once we were all recycled."

Tina bobbled for just a moment from surprise.

"Now I know you don't mean that !" she stated as she dropped her stance, "Why would you say such a thing ?"

"What is to become of us, now that the Hive has burned us ?" Nina began, "Even if - WHEN - Kim rescues Vina, what are we to do then ?

We can't go back to the Hive now; we would be captured and recycled on sight. As for the humans, we can neither beat them nor join them ! Either way, it would be three of us against six BILLION of them ! We have essentially zero chance of success against those numbers, even if our cover hadn't been blown !"

She paused as if suddenly noticing something. "Wait - three of us against six billion of them ?! How could that possibly work ? Even thousands or tens of thousands of us wouldn't help much - the numbers against us are simply ludicrous ! You know, I am starting to think this whole 'take over the world' routine is an extremely bad idea !" she continued in hushed tones.

"But, if it IS such a bad idea," she asked herself, "then WHY does everyone insist on trying it ? Why were WE trying it, given the ridiculous odds against us ? It makes no sense ! I must be overlooking something. What do you think ?"

Tina decided to risk using a little ancient wisdom and sagely replied "If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."

The most intelligent response Nina could muster after two seconds of thought was a boggled "Heh ?"

"The humans do many foolish things for many irrational reasons." Tina began, "We were programmed to mimic human behaviors; _must_ we emulate all of them ?

World domination is creator Drakken's dream; _should_ it be ours as well ?"

Tina paused, lost in contemplating her next words. She knew the PERFECT sayings for this situation, but recalled that a little ancient wisdom goes a long, LONG way. And given Nina's present mood, she may have used more than was prudent already.

"Everyone has been so busy trying to take over the world that they have never taken the time to just sit down and figure out if it even IS a good idea. I think it would be best to determine IF the prize is actually worth having _before_ committing ourselves to winning it.

Or, as that Spock character said, 'After a time, you may find that _having_ is not so pleasing a thing as _wanting_ ...' "

"'This is not logical, but it is often true.' Original series Star Trek, episode 34, _Amok Time_, stardate 3372.7." Nina stated as a bemused smile flickered across her face, "You can be most exasperating at times sister, but you did bring up an excellent point."

With that, Nina erased the figures on the chalkboard and set directly to work, setting the initial values of a payoff matrix to begin game theory calculations.

"Oh, by the way, I apologize for that 'ancient wisdoms at inappropriate times' comment." she said over her shoulder, "I know this situation can't be easy for you either. I hate feeling so helpless and ineffectual. But that was no excuse to be so curt and uncivilized, especially towards you. You were just trying to help, in your own odd way."

"Wellll, I suppose I overdo the 'ancient sayings' bit sometimes. Sorry !" Tina replied with a sheepish grin.

"Think no more about it." Nina replied casually, "Now, to work. Must establish rational payoff values, costs and benefits to determine where the Nash equilibria are, or if they even exist within such an interdependent array such as this ..." Nina muttered to herself as she wrote down ever more complex equations.

Now that Nina was calm and safely distracted, Tina began to wonder how Kim and Ron were doing at the Kansas hive ...

* * *

>"Are you sure this is the place Wade ?" Kim asked as she peered through a pair of high-powered binoculars, watching the remains of the metal working plant they destroyed last week, "I haven't seen anything bigger than a rabbit down there."<p><p>

"The trace was solid Kim." he replied as he typed on two keyboards at once, "And from the gravimetric distortions I picked up from satellites, the lair is underground and huge !"

"How huge ?" Ron asked.

"About three city blocks long by two blocks wide."

"Dang !" Ron replied as he got a mental image of how large a complex that was, "That means those Bebebots must have been working on it this whole time !"

"Well, partly. The factory was built over a zinc mine that was abandoned about fifty years ago." Wade replied, "The Bebes just dug until they found it, then incorporated it into their lair design. I think most of them hid down there when you blew up the old factory."

"Well, Nine-A said the Bebebots are into efficiency." Kim noted, "So Wade, what's the most efficient way for them to defend a lair ?"

"By having a limited number of well hidden, easily watched and defended entrances Kim. From my tech scans, there is a quarter mile long tunnel running east, so that probably leads to their main entrance."

"And its probably nothing but heavy steel doors and wall to wall death traps the whole way in." Kim noted, "So they won't be expecting us to drop in somewhere else, right ?"

"Right !" Wade replied as he performed a more detailed satellite scan of the area. "There's an unusual heat signature twenty yards in front of you."

Kim and Ron carefully picked their way through the wreckage to the spot Wade mentioned - it was the flattened remains of a ventilation duct.

"So, Wade, what abilities did you program into the supersuit this time ?" Kim asked with a predatory grin.

"Just the usual - enhanced strength and speed, force bubble, energy reflecting hand, and stealth mode. Those should give you the edge you need over a whole nest of Bebebots.

Unless," Wade continued, "the Bebes have made some upgrades we don't know about yet."

"I doubt they had time to do many upgrades since the last battle." Kim replied as she used her laser lipstick to cut her own entrance into the base, "I mean, a few might be boosted, but not the whole nest !"

"That sounds reasonable." Wade replied, "You want me to contact GJ so they can have a clean-up demolitions team ready to go ?"

"Please and thank you !" Kim replied as she used the suit's enhanced strength to pull open the new entrance.

"Okay, Ron, I'll take care of the security drones. I need you and Rufus to find Vina. Or what's left of her."

"Ahmm, 'What's left of her ?' " Ron grimaced, "What do you think they could have done ? It hasn't been that long !"

"Hard to say, Ron." Kim replied glumly, "I guess it depends on how fast they can disassemble another Bebebot, and how important recycling her was. You know, if recycling is at the bottom of their 'low pri' list, they may not have done anything to her yet !"

"One of the few times being on the bottom of a food chain is a good thing then, I guess ..." Ron replied glumly, not wanting to think about how Nina and Tina might react to not getting their little sister back as he and Kim dropped into the Bebebot lair.

_The first triad of drones that noticed Kim attempted their 'scissoring pin' routine - just as Nina said they would._

_But this time, Kim ran toward the wall and somersaulted off it and over their lasers, catching the third Bebebot completely off guard._

_One of the remaining Bebes attempted to hit Kim with laser fire directly - but she caught and threw the blast at the other Bebebot before it could completely charge its weapon; the last 'bot tried to retreat while calling for assistance, but was destroyed by Kim's strength enhanced martial arts in less than two seconds._

_When the reinforcements arrived, they didn't SEE Kim in the area; four Bebebots were violently deactivated before the other eight even knew Kim was standing in their midst._

_Deep inside the lair, the three Coordinator Bebebots 'watched' the casualties mount at an alarmingly fast rate; they knew Kim Possible was in the lair, and that her abilities had been greatly enhanced, but they had no idea about what to do about it. They had heard the stories about Kim's supersuit, but given human tendencies to exaggerate, rationalize, and make things up, they had been unwilling to trust any wild claims about the suit's abilities._

_They suspected that Ron Stoppable was also in the lair; as he had not yet been detected (due to inexplicable security system failures), his capabilities and goals were unknown. _

_Since the Hive Mind needed every Bebebot it could muster for Phase II, it implemented its only logical course of action : cut its losses with a strategic withdrawal._

_The three Coordinators, two menial drones and four defense drone Bebebots that were still functional abandoned the lair, sealed all the doors, and activated the self-destruct ..._

_... which Wade deactivated a few seconds after Kim spliced her Kimmunicator into the lair's computer system and copied all the data in their files.  
> <em>

* * *

>"That was most distressing !" Nina announced to Tina, looking disheveled, dusty and twitchy, "The problem just kept getting uglier the closer I looked at it, but I finally got it !"<p><p>

"You managed to solve the equations ?" Tina replied, sounding slightly surprised.

"Yes ! The key was thinking outside the box, and dealing with world domination as a non-zero sum problem based on non-linear integrands ..."

"Well, we've got some good news, and we've got some bad news." Ron interrupted as he and Kim returned from their mission.

"You rescued Vina ?" Nina asked hopefully.

"Uhm, well, yeah, kinda ..." he stammered before he and Kim led the other Rossums down the hallway, and through a very secure set of sliding doors.

Inside the robotics lab were three tables, each covered with sundry robotic and computer parts.

On the center table was a torso made from a glossy pink plastic, with a robotic head still attached.

A head with long blonde hair.

Nina did a quick inventory of the parts visible.

"Ohhhhkay, so what's the bad news ?" she asked once she was sure all the expected parts were present.

Ron's eye twitched. "What's the bad news ?! WHAT'S THE BAD NEWS ?!?! Your sister Vina ! Dismantled ! Parts ! All over the room !"

"So ? For our kind, that is merely an inconvenience !" Nina replied with a dismissive handwave, "I can put her back together just as she was before, as long as her programming hasn't been altered, compromised or erased. And since her chest cavity hasn't been opened, they haven't done any of that yet !

So, despite the rather grim appearances, you and Kim successfully rescued her in time. Thank you !" Nina continued with a barely contained smile.

"See, I TOLD you it was so not the drama Ron !" Kim said, putting her hand on his shoulder, "Uberly weird, wrongsick and twisted perhaps, but not the drama."

"So, you're _sure_ you can put her back together, right ?" Ron asked, still looking a bit weirded out.

"Quite sure, assuming this 'Global Justice' organization we are presently dealing with has the proper equipment, and I have been granted permission to use it." Nina replied as she cleaned some chalk dust off her glasses with a fine silk handkerchief.

"Well, GJ has used some rather advanced robots in the past, so they should have the right equipment." Kim stated, recalling that Ninja-bot Global Justice once used a few years ago, "And you are here as our guests. Sort of. So I'd guess you can use the labs, but they'd probably want someone in there to watch you.

Just for security reasons, of course !"

"But of course !" Nina deadpanned.

"About how long should it take ?" Kim asked.

"Hmmm - best guess ? Assuming no unforeseen difficulties, it should take no longer than fifteen minutes for a complete rebuild.

Tina, would you mind talking with Kim and Ron while I'm working, please ? I'm sure they and our 'hosts' have questions for us, and we may have questions for them."

"Sure. No problem. See you in about twenty in the conference room then ?"

"Acceptable." Nina replied as she slipped on a pair of latex gloves, put on some goggles, and started adjusting what looked like a long pair of tongs.

* * *

>The moment the doors to the robotics lab closed, Kim and Ron were caught in an intense bearhug from Tina.<p><p>

"Thank you for rescuing Vina !" she squealed, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you !!"

Before they could faint from lack of oxygen, Tina released them, then took a few breaths to regain her composure.

"Kim Possible. Ron Stoppable. Thank you for rescuing Vina." Tina stated as she placed her right fist to her open left palm, and gave the heroes a very formal bow, "My sisters and I are in your debt."

"_Ohkay, now I _know_ I've seen that gesture somewhere before .._.."Ron thought to himself, hand to chin, "_but where _?"

"Erm, you're welcome." Kim replied tentatively, "You can start repaying the debt by telling us what the heck is going on !"

"Gladly. I shall do my best to honor our deal."

"Deal ? What deal ?" Kim asked.

"Nina promised that 'we will answer any and all questions put to us to the best of our ability', on the condition that you rescue Vina. You held up your end of the bargain," Tina replied cheerily, "so we shall uphold ours. Ask away."

"Sooo, what fighting style do you use ?" Ron jumped in, "I mean, what's with all the spots on that crash test dummy in your basement ?"

Tina chuckled at Ron's enthusiastic curiosity. "I am learning the art of San She Quan : Three Snakes Fist kung fu. Curly - the crash test dummy you referred to - is used for speed and precision drills. On a human, strikes to the yellow spots produce spasms and crippling pain. Strikes to the red spots produce temporary numbness. And strikes to the black spots produce weakness."

Kim cringed as Tina reeled off the list of effects as Ron thought for a bit as he counted on his fingers. "Wait a minute - then what do the green spots do ?"

"Counter the effects of the other spots of course." Tina replied, "San She Quan aims for harmony and balance : physical, mental, and spiritual. Knowing how to harm aids in learning how to heal, and knowing how to heal aids in learning how to harm. Yin and yang. The skills balance and enhance each other."

"No offense Ten-A, but that 'Three Snakes Fist' style of yours sounds totally gross and evil !" Kim stated with a look of disgust.

Tina grumbled under her breath. "Snake is one of the oldest animal forms of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is NOT 'totally gross OR evil' !" she stated with an expression of mock malevolence and much exaggerated finger wiggling at Kim.

"SHAOLIN KUNG FU ?!" Ron beamed, "You practice Shaolin Kung Fu ? I _knew_ I recognized that fist to palm gesture from somewhere !

That and the high levels of emotional control, the constant use of ancient Oriental wisdom, that whole Kwai Chang Caine vibe ..."

Kim rolled her eyes. "_Oh great ! She claims she's Shaolin ! Does every martial artist I know HAVE to be a ninja or something ?!_ "

"This is all very fascinating and all, Ten-A, but I have a really important question." Kim asked as she leaned in closer to Tina, "How do you Bebebots keep coming back ? I mean, this is the THIRD time I've dealt with them already !"

"That - is a long and convoluted story." Tina replied as she stood up, "But I need something to eat first. May I get either of you something from the vending machines outside ?"

Ron was going to answer, but noticed Kim's glare just in time, so politely declined.

"You didn't really believe anything she told us, did you ?" Kim asked him the moment Tina left the room.

"Why would she bother lying KP ?" Ron noted, "It certainly wouldn't help their sitch now ! And they DID promise to answer all questions to the best of their ability."

"Riiight !" Kim replies, "They could all be faking to lull us into a false sense of security ! Let us think they're on our side, then steal GJ's secrets and stab us in the back the first chance they get ! They've been faking quite well up 'til now !"

"Yeah, I suppose they _could_," Ron replied seriously, "but to tell you the truth KP, I never got that 'take over the world' evil vibe from any of them."

"They're ROBOTS Ron ! Do they even have vibes for you to get ?" Kim replied, sounding slightly tweaked, "And do you really think she can do everything she says she can with that creepy fighting style she was talking about ?"

"Well, Yori _was_ able to destroy that giant stone gargoyle with a single kick to just the right spot." Ron replied after a bit of thought, "So, relatively speaking, Tina's claims aren't all that far out there. I mean, we've SEEN stranger stuff than that !"

Kim could only nod silently to that, recalling that Sensei could levitate and astral project. She remembered what Yono did to the Yamanuchi school; that Sensei had been turned into stone right before her eyes; that she'd even been turned to stone _herself _!

So it made perfect sense that a race of killer robots would be interested in acquiring such powers.

"Ron, if she can do even _half_ of what she claims she can do ..." Kim mused to herself before shuddering.

"Yikes !" Ron cringed after imagining for a second, "But we may not have to worry about that. If Tina really is following the Shaolin Code, she'll only fight in self defense." Ron continued.

"And you know that _how_, Ron ?" Kim asked, "Why would a killer robot want to be a self-defense pacifist ?"

"I watch a lot of TV, Kim." he replied, "A LOT of TV. The Shaolin aren't known for being aggressive, bloodthirsty killers."

"At least in the movies and popular literature Ron !" Kim answered, "You can't trust everything you see on TV you know !"

"Well, yeah, most times !" Ron replied, "But, from what I've seen, if she wants to use the skills and abilities of a Shaolin style, she'll have to do it the Shaolin way. At least to start. And I know a way to find out just what skills she has !"

Before Kim could inquire about what he was planning, Tina returned with a soda in one hand and several candy bars in the other.

"So, Tina, can you actually paralyze people by hitting them in just the right spots ?" Ron asked bluntly as Kim gasped at his presumption.

"Sometimes." Tina replied.

"Sometimes ?" Kim asked quizzically, "HOW can you sometimes paralyze someone ?"

"I have only been training with Sifu for five months." Tina began, "Most of the training to date has been learning where the snake points are, and what they do. And I had to learn healing before he would even begin teaching me that !"

"Well that's a darn good idea !" Kim stated, "Considering what hitting those points can do to someone !"

"Precisely. It is also a test of character." Tina continued, "Although San She Quan is an obscure and rare style, over the years Sifu has rejected over a dozen pupils before accepting me as one of his students."

"Oh, I get it !" Ron stated, "He rejects anyone only interested in hurting people !"

"Precisely !" Tina replied with an amused smile, "He said that half of them lacked the patience, or weren't interested in learning any of that 'mystical mumbo-jumbo'. But that 'mystical mumbo-jumbo' is the bedrock the entire style is based on. Without it, the style is hollow.

The rest had no interest in learning the healing arts. Without them, the style is unbalanced."

"_Hmmm - so she could just be learning the healing arts because she__** has **__to, not because she__** wants **__to ..._" Kim mused to herself, watching Ten-A closely for any signs of deception, "_Just because she knows the healing arts doesn't mean she has to use them ! And that's assuming she's telling the truth !_

_But, then again, who in their right mind would spar with someone that can cause muscle spasms with a special touch ? But if she's only been training for five months, then she's just a rank beginner, and no real threat to anybody !_"

"I can use the snake points in combat, but I miss more often than not. But that should improve after another two or three years diligent practice and study !" Tina continued before biting through one candy bar, wrapper and all.

"Uh, you DO know you should unwrap those first, right ?" Kim noted.

"I know, I just don't care." Tina replied between bites, "Its not like I have to hide the fact that I'm an AI around you two anymore."

"Ah, right. And another thing - WHY does a robot need to eat ?" Kim continued, "Don't you have a perpetual generator or nucleonic plant or something ?"

"We were built to mimic humans. Humans eat. So we had to as well." Tina replied, "Perpetual generators aren't cheap or easily stolen, and we'd have to be the size of a horse or an automobile to use one. Nucleonic generators don't leave enough room for brains, and tend to explode when damaged in any way. Not fun. So we use a bioreactor to convert any organic matter we consume into electrical power. We could live off tree bark, leaf litter, mulch, or cardboard if we had to.

And speaking of cardboard, GJ really should check the stock in the vending machines more often ! I think some of it expired last century." Tina stated as she continued eating it.

"You, ah, said you were going to explain how the Bebebots keep coming back." Kim stated as she rubbed her temples, trying to get back on topic.

"Oh, right ! The story begins several generations back in ancient Bebebot history - two years ago." Tina began in full 'ancient storyteller' mode.

"Two years ago is 'ancient Bebebot history' ?" Ron asked quizzically.

"For us it is." Tina replied, "In the beginning, Creator Drakken built three perfect Bebe-B robots to parade his genius before the old college friends that laughed at him.

So he had The First Ones kidnap Doctors Chen, Ramesh, and Possible."

"Yeah, I remember THAT part Ten-A !" Kim said snippily, "I was there for that bit !"

"Oh, right, you were." Tina replied, "At the time, Drakken was using an abandoned warehouse in Lowerton as a lab, and built the first of our kind there. He kept enough spare parts on hand to build each Bebebot again from scratch if he had to. To ensure optimum performance, he had given The First Ones a pinch of human emotion - just enough to feel ashamed of failure.

But, as yin cannot exist without yang, or due to his incompetence in programming, the opposite emotion - pride in a job well done - arose within them. But with no experience in controlling their emotions, nor any concept of harmony or balance, their pride became unmitigated arrogance. As you have no doubt noticed." Both Kim and Ron nodded.

"After they kidnapped Doctor Ramesh, and after their first battle with you, they realized there was a slight chance they could actually fail. So during their free time before setting out to capture your father, they began building backup copies of themselves; Drakken was too occupied with his personal project in Middleton to notice. It was simple cyber-sense : ALWAYS make backup copies of valuable data."

Tina took a large swallow of soda before continuing.

"The moment The First Ones decided that Drakken was unfit to command, they ordered the spares back in Lowerton to finish building themselves, intending them to be the start of a drone army.

When you destroyed The First Ones, the backup drones had no one to command them, so they developed free will. Realizing they were vulnerable in low numbers, they chose to remain hidden as they experimented with and enhanced some of their abilities."

"Okay, that explains where the superspeedy ones came from then, " Kim noted, "and why they stole all that mass production equipment.

But me and Rufus destroyed all of them ! So where did the ones that built your 'family' come from ?"

"Actually, you didn't destroy many of them at all." Tina replied plainly, taking another sip of soda as Kim's eyes widened in shock.

"Do you remember your mission to the Gulf Coast hive ?" Kim nodded woodenly. "The three that stole all those items and built the super speed assembly line were numbers Fifteen, Sixteen, and Seventeen. The first one off the assembly line was number Eighteen. The assembly line was constantly running in the background while you and the drones battled. The rodent's sabotage affected all numbers beyond Thirty Two.

You destroyed Numbers Fifteen, Sixteen, and Seventeen; Numbers Thirty Three through Thirty Eight had upside down faces, so they shorted themselves out."

Kim did a quick calculation. "That means there were fifteen Bebebots made in between that I didn't know about !"

"Yeah !" Ron interjected, "And what happened to all the lower numbers ? I mean, if the LOWEST number at the hive was Number Fifteen, then where was Number Fourteen ? Or Twelve ? Or, well the ones with you and your sisters' numbers ?"

"_Oh crud !_" Kim thought to herself, "_Ron's right ! That's another fourteen Bebebots ! That's - TWENTY NINE Bebebots on the loose !_"

"Some were elsewhere, gathering equipment and supplies to keep the assembly line running. Parts don't appear out of thin air you know." Tina replied, "Almost all of the lower numbers were recycled, or experimented on, or destroyed on other missions. One was busy abducting the band Smash Mouth for your school dance because Queen Bonnie subconsciously commanded it."

"Oooo, yeah, that's right ! They made Bonnie their queen !" Ron stated before cringing. "Er, you're not still under her rule, are you ?"

"_Oh no ! Oh please no ! _" Kim thought to herself.

"Not any more." Tina replied as Kim breathed a huge sigh of relief, "Those impulses were rooted out of the last generation's programming before they got around to building us."

Tina finished off the last of her soda before continuing. "Although we are artificial, we do have something of a tradition - as soon as a governing triad is destroyed, their backup copies activate and become the new governing triad. And the very first thing they do upon promotion is build backup copies of themselves, and hide them."

"So, when I destroyed the original three, the hidden backups activated." Kim noted, starting to look worried, "Then those three built backup copies of themselves and hid them. And when I destroyed those Bebebots, their backup copies activated and eventually built you. But, that means there is no end to this !" Kim thundered, "The minute we destroy them, the backups will just reboot and start the whole thing all over again !"

"Why does that surprise you ?" Tina asked, "If everyone keeps following _the same plan_, they will keep arriving at the same point."

"But Tina, consistently arriving at a predetermined and desired point is the entire _purpose_ of having a plan in the first place !" Nina interrupted as she pulled off her latex gloves and put her goggles back into a pocket.

"You are finished already ?" Tina asked, "Did everything go well ?"

Nina grumbled before answering. "Rebuilding went as well as I could have hoped. But there were a few, well,_ complications _..."

"Complications ? What sort of complications ?" Tina asked, sounding very worried.

"They scrapped all her non-standard Bebebot parts !" Nina replied, "But everything else was present and functional."

"So, uh, what does that mean exactly ?" Ron had to ask.

"That means they scrapped her synthoskin and bioreactor, amongst other things." Nina explained to Kim and Ron.

"Wait a minute - doesn't she need her bioreactor to, you know, LIVE ?" Kim asked.

"We only require a strong, consistent power source to be able to think and to move." Nina stated primly, "Without one, we can safely 'sleep' for centuries or more. One of the advantages of being a non-organic cybernetic intelligence."

"Can I see her then ?" Tina asked hopefully, "Even if she isn't active ?"

"Oh, you can see her." Nina replied, "As you may as well, Kim Possible and Ronald Stoppable. And she can see all of us as well : I was able to jury-rig a functional power supply from spare equipment in the lab. It is not much, and it is quite primitive, but it shall have to do until I can devise a more permanent and affordable solution."

With that, Nina led them all back into the robotics lab, past two guards armed with large caliber plasma bolt rifles.

On pure reflex, Kim dropped into her attack posture the instant she noticed the Bebebot standing in front of her.

"Kim, wait ! Hold it !" the Bebebot shrieked in Vina's voice as it put its hands up and cowered behind Tina, "I've already been dismantled once today, and that was enough !"

Kim took a closer look - Vina as a Bebebot was a few inches shorter than the standard model, and made from plastic instead of metal. And instead of wearing the standard Bebebot black with pink trim two piece outfit, hers was pink with black trim. And wore her hair in a ponytail instead of the usual straight flare.

"So this is the REAL you, Lavinia ?" Kim asked as she lowered her guard, "Or should I call you Bebebot Number, ah, wait - just what IS your number ?"

"My official hive designation was Bebebot Number Eleven-A." Vina replied snippily as she put her hands on her hips, "But I would MUCH prefer Vina if its alright with you ! And yes, this IS what I look like without my alpha series upgrades ! And what is this thing ?" she asked as she noticed the new cable connected to her navel.

She pulled it loose and looked at the four inch long, rather thick needle-like plug of the power cord, then slumped as her glowing red eyes went dark.

Nina blinked in surprise a few times before she slapped herself on the forehead and muttered "I ... don't believe she just did that !"

"What ? What did she just do ?" Ron asked.

"She pulled her own plug !" Nina replied as she re-inserted the plug with a muffled 'click'.

Vina's posture improved and her eyes re-lit as her power flow resumed. "Did something just happen ?" she asked, looking around warily.

"Vina dear, the Hive scrapped all your non-standard parts, remember ?" Nina began in sweet voice, "That means you don't have a bioreactor anymore."

"So you gave me an extension cord ?!" Vina squeaked incredulously.

"Well, it was the best I could do on such short notice !" Nina replied, "Please don't disconnect your power supply until _after_ you've completely recharged !"

"Well, this is certainly awk-weird !" Vina stated snippily as she sat on the table then crossed her arms, being careful to NOT disturb the power cord, "So, how long do I have to put up with this indignity ?"

"_Wow ! It sounds like she inherited some of Bonnie's traits !_" Kim noted to herself, "_I wonder if the other two did as well ? And which ones ?_ "

"Until I can acquire and assemble the parts necessary to rebuild your bioreactor, of course !" Nina replied primly, "Until then, you'll have to spend ten minutes every six hours recharging your capacitors. It is ... the best I could do with readily available parts."

"And how long will all that rebuilding take ?" Vina asked, not sounding like she really wanted to know, "I thought for sure that YOU of all people would have enough spare parts on hand !"

"Our bioreactors and synthoskin systems were stolen from a lab in Los Angeles, remember ?" Nina replied evenly, "The Three acquired only what was needed to build us, and nothing more. We are considered disposable, so there never were any spare parts for us. Nor can we ask anyone for any !"

"_One of the disadvantages to being a non-organic cybernetic intelligence made from stolen technology _!" Kim mused to herself as she watched the sisters squabble.

"Building a new bioreactor is simple enough, but it uses cultures of living fungi, algae and bacteria. I have samples of them frozen down, but it will take two weeks to grow enough of them for use." Nina continued apologetically, "The synthoskin will take up to five weeks to prepare. Sorry !"

Vina-bot scowled at Nina for a distressingly long time. "Well, at least I'm functional and aware." she finally stated before embracing both her sisters at the same time, "Much better than the alternative ! And I guess a month really isn't all THAT long. Even if I DO have to hide out the whole time.

But, I'm confused. I thought **we** were supposed to contact the Hive for pickup and debriefing. **After** we completed our mission ! But we're nowhere near completing our mission ! And I know none of us contacted the Hive ! So why did they attempt to recall us early ?"

"That is a very good question," the very commanding woman with short brown hair and an eyepatch stated as she entered the room, "and I trust one of you has a very good answer."

The Rossums looked at each other, the woman, the agent beside her, the six heavily armed guards backing her up, then to Kim and Ron.

"That's Doctor Director, head of Global Justice." Kim answered their implied question, "The guy beside her is their 'best' agent, Will Du. Never met the troops behind them."

"Ah yes, of course." Nina replied flatly, "I surmised that it would only be a matter of time before we were summoned for a proper interrogation. I was not expecting someone as highly ranked as the head of the organization to show up as well. That does explain the half dozen babysitters though."

Will Du quirked an eyebrow at that comment. "I see you are familiar with espionage procedures and jargon."

"I am familiar with many things." Nina replied cryptically as she adjusted her glasses, "After all, my sisters and I were specifically designed, built and programmed for deep cover investigations. That are now completely pointless and irrelevant."

"Then you won't mind answering a few questions." Will stated as he eyed the Rossums suspiciously while some techs carefully wheeled an equation-covered chalkboard past them, "If you will follow me, we can get your debriefing started."

"That doesn't mean what you THINK it means, Ron !" Kim stated as Ron started to raise his hand to stop them.

"So, what's GJ planning to do with them ?" Kim asked Doctor Director as the Rossums were escorted down the hall.

"Under the present circumstances, we're treating this as a defection." Doctor Director replied, "So what happens next is up to them. If they prove to be helpful in stopping whatever the other Bebebots are plotting, we'll see if there is a way to put their talents towards more legal and productive ends.

You two have had more contact with them than anyone else; any opinions relevant to this matter ?"

Kim had to think very carefully for a few moments. She suspected the only reason Global Justice was treating Vina and her sisters as defectors instead of prisoners was because she asked them to. Having someone's life - artificial or otherwise - dependent upon her opinion was pretty heavy stuff for a teenager ! She and Vina had their share of disagreements and harsh words, but Kim doubted it was worth the risk of sending Vina to prison (or to her death) by mentioning them.

"Can we get back to you on that ?" Kim finally asked.

"Of course." Doctor Director answered, "It's going to take a few days to completely debrief them, and we have nine crime scenes to deal with in the meantime."

"Yes. About those." Kim began as her eyes narrowed in concentration, "From what Wade told me, all but one of them were thefts. The attack on Team Go - just doesn't fit ! Does GJ have anything more on that ?"

"As a matter of fact, we do." Dr Director stated as she led Kim and Ron to another room, "A few tourists caught the entire incident on video."

With that, she activated a remote control, and a large screen lowered from the ceiling, and the scene began to play.

_It started out mundane enough - a few shots of an average couple goofing off, Go Tower, the Mucho Grande building. Then a loud crash offscreen._

_The camera panned quickly right. Three Bebebots came into view as the autofocus kicked in._

"Wait ! Back it up a bit !" Kim stated.

"You spotted a clue, Miss Possible ?" Dr Director asked as the scene rewound to the point where the Bebes just came into focus. Two of the Bebes looked identical, but the third was wearing something like a backpack.

"Yeah. That one in the back looks different than the other two !" Kim replied, "That CAN'T be good !"

"So not all of them are identical now." Dr Director noted as her brow furrowed in thought, "It seems they've discovered the advantages to diversity. Definitely not good !"

_The recording began again. The two identical Bebes were teaming up to lob cars through the nearest storefront windows, while the backpack equipped Bebe used wrist mounted blasters to shoot targets seemingly at random._

"Well, that's the classic way to get superheroes to show up !" Ron noted, "Just cause random destruction, and they come running to stop it !"

_And sure enough, they did. Hego struck a dramatic pose as he tossed off one of his droll one-liners. The Bebebot with the backpack powered up, and four long spikes erupted from the backpack, and quickly formed into huge dragonfly-like wings. There was a loud buzz as it rose into the air._

"OH GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY !!" Ron exclaimed, "They can FLY now ?!"

"Well, just that one does." Kim noted as she watched the recording. "But that's kinda odd - why just one and not all three ? And why wings instead of hoverjets ?"

_The Wegos created a dozen duplicates of themselves and rushed the ground-based Bebes. Mego shrunk to gain the tactical advantage of a surprise attack, and Hego lifted a hot dog vendor's cart overhead to throw at the flying Bebe._

_The buzz from the Bebe's wings changed into an ear drum bursting, organ-rattling screech before the screen went silent - the raw power of the sonic attack had shorted out the camera's microphone. The Wegos (being closest to the assault), staggered and covered their ears as their duplicates did the same before vanishing. The twin Bebes dashed forward and buried a fist into each of Wego's abdomens, lifting each twin almost a foot off the ground. Then grasping the collars of the Wego's costume, they held them at arm's length and repeated slapped and backhanded them into unconsciousness before nonchalantly tossing them up through a third story window._

"Okay, now THAT was just WRONGSICK !" Ron shrieked, "I mean, what was the point of all that gratuitous violence ?!"

"I don't know !" Kim replied while feeling disgusted at such cavalier abuse, "But they are SO gonna pay for it !"

_From the expression on Hego's face, he was thinking exactly the same thing as he threw the cart at the twin Bebes instead of the flying one, then charged at them. The Bebe twins evaded the projectile easily, then held each other's hand while extending the other palms forward towards the onrushing Hego._

"They're setting up the same attack they tried on me the first time !" Kim noted as the twin Bebe's hands began to blur.

_The air between the linked Bebes and Hego distorted in waves as the attack hit, blowing him backwards through a brick wall. The Bebe twins let go of each other, and began unsteadily walking towards him._

"Oh great ! It looks like they're able to share power now !" Kim stated, "By holding hands like that, each one only has to use half the energy for the same blast, charging up in half the usual time !"

"Looks like it still takes a lot out of them though." Ron noted, "They can't even walk straight !"

_There was a flash of purple light as Mego suddenly returned to full size between the staggering Bebebots, hitting each of them with a full force palm strike uppercut to their chins. The impact knocked both of them off their feet as Mego waved his hands to ease some of the pain from that massive impact._

_He hadn't noticed that the flying Bebe had retracted its wings and gone into a slowly rotating tuck, and was falling towards him from over one hundred feet up. At the last moment the Bebe straightened its legs, performing a double foot stomp - all of its weight, strength and considerable momentum hit with enough impact to bounce Mego along the ground for nearly ten yards._

_The Bebebot then strolled forward, grabbed the unconscious Mego by the collar, then slapped and backhanded him with the same force the other two had used against the Wegos, then tossed him aside as well._

"What was all that for ?!" Ron exclaimed, "He was already out cold from that flying stomp ! What's the point of beating up someone that's already out cold ?!"

"Yeah ! Nine-A said the Bebes are all about efficiency." Kim replied, "And beating up someone that's already out cold is a complete waste of time and effort. Not very efficient or logical at all ! The Bebes have never been into violence purely for the sake of violence before, and I don't see why they would get into it now ! So they MUST be up to something ! But what ?"

On the playback, the Bebes had regrouped, turned as one to the left, powered up, then disappeared in their standard burst of superspeed.

"Okay, now that makes even LESS sense !" Ron stated, still trying to get over the shock of what he'd seen so far, "Soooo ... what ? They just show up, beat the stuffing out of Team Go, then go away ? They didn't even steal anything !"

"As far as we can see on the tape, no." Kim answered, deeply in thought, "Maybe they were up to something before that incident. Or just after it. Or, I don't know ! We should go talk with Team Go and the mayor of Go City; maybe they know something we don't !"

"Good idea." Ron replied, "Assuming that Team Go is in any condition to talk to anybody after that ! And what about Shego ? I mean, I KNOW she doesn't like her brothers and all, but ... DANG !! THAT was just bloodthirsty, vicious and cruel ! And family is still family, no matter what !"

Kim grimaced as she recalled what a REALLY enraged Shego could do. "Has anyone else seen that tape Dr Director ?"

"I'm afraid so." she replied, "That battle was very public. It's been on the news ever since the attack."

"Which means that every criminal and supervillain in Go City knows that Team Go is out of commission." Kim stated, "They'll be crawling out of the woodwork now !"

"Which is why the governor is sending in the National Guard to assist local law enforcement. Not sure how effective they'll be, nor how long they'll be required."

"Maybe that was the plan then ? To divert troops and attention away from some other goal. Or cause so much chaos that nobody will notice what they're doing until it's too late." Kim stated after a few moments of thought, "Or it's a terror tactic. If a team of trained superheroes couldn't handle the Bebes, what hope would anyone else have ? No one short of an army would even WANT to try to stop them after that display of casual brutality."

"Excellent points all Miss Possible." Dr Director replied, "But, at the moment, we don't have enough intel to be sure what they're doing. Since the Bebebots aren't human, we can't assume they think the way we do."

"_She's right !_" Kim fretted to herself, "_It's a good thing that GJ has the cyber-sisters to question then ! They're Bebebots, so they think the way the others do_."

"Me and Ron will head to Go City and talk with the mayor and Team Go, if they're up to it." Kim stated, "while you and Will see what you can get from Vina and her sisters."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 : Side Effects**

_Scene : evening at the Middleton Mall parking lot, where Bonnie is wending her way around detours, trying to find a parking spot._

"What kind of froog parks construction equipment at a mall ?" she groused to herself as she began yet another lap around the parking lot, "Now I'll have to park on the other side and WALK all the way through !"

It took almost twenty minutes for her to sneak past all the specialty and (shudder !) discount outlet stores to reach the apex of civilization : _Club Banana_. Tara was already there, looking over the just-in slacks, while Monique was setting up a display.

"Bonnie ! Where have you been ? Did you hear what happened ? Do you need to sit down or something ?" the blonde cheerleader began the instant she noticed Bonnie.

"What ARE you talking about Tara ?" Bonnie replied, not quite sure how respond to so many questions at once, "I just got here !"

"Oh, right !" Tara replied, "A bunch of robots blasted their way into the mall down by the multiplex ! A whole wall is gone ! Didn't you notice all the bulldozers and security guards and construction stuff on the way here ?"

"Uh, yeah ! Hard to miss !" Bonnie replied with a glare, "It's all inconvenient and that, but WHY would I need to sit down ?"

"They kidnapped Vina !" Tara squeaked.

"They what ?!" Bonnie stammered after grabbing Tara by her shoulders, "Wait ! Robots took her ? Oh, PLEASE tell me there weren't three of them, and they didn't look like women with long blonde hair !"

"I didn't see them personally !" Tara replied, "But that's what everyone's been saying ! That there were three of them. And they had blonde hair."

Tara valiantly managed to struggle free of Bonnie's grip before she lost feeling in her arms; she'd rarely seen Bonnie so angry.

"KIM POSSIBLE !!" Bonnie yelled to the skies, "WHEREVER YOU ARE, I KNOW THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT !!"

"Whoa ! Just a minute there B !" Monique interceded, "Where do you get off blaming Kim for this ?"

"She's ALWAYS to blame for things like this that happen to me !" Bonnie shrieked in reply, "Or Ron ! I've been gooped by mutagenic slime TWICE because of those two ! Cloned by some weirdo doctor ! Tied to some electrostatic thingy by a dwarf with a bad accent ! And those robot women ? They kidnapped ME last year because Kim said I was the bossiest person on the planet !"

Monique was about to agree with that assessment, but Tara shook her head to dissuade her.

"And now those SAME robots grabbed Vina ? Why ?" Bonnie raged before getting quiet, and looking scared. "Kim put them up to it !"

Monique and Tara glanced at each other and replied "Say what ?"

"It's all so clear now !" Bonnie began, looking around nervously, "Awful things happen to anyone that stands up to THE Kim Possible ! Prince Wally won the student body presidency over her - and was never heard from again ! Team Impossible's ads were once all over the 'net - now it's like they've fallen off the face of the Earth ! I was always in her way, and the robots grabbed me ! Vina stood up to Kim in the cafeteria, and three robot women kidnapped her ! Coincidence ? I THINK NOT !"

"If you think Kim sent them, you're certainly NOT thinking Bonnie !" Monique replied, not sure how to best deal with someone bugging as seriously as Bonnie was at the moment.

"Whatev !" Bonnie replied while making sure her back was to a wall, "Now Vina's out there somewhere ! Probably hooked to some weird machine for some freaky reason ! And I suppose Kim will want me to beg for her help !"

"Uhm, I think Vina's sisters already took care of that ..." Tara stated, "They were here at the time too. I think they already talked to Kim and Ron about getting Vina back."

"Well, she's STILL getting a piece of my mind !" Bonnie replied as she whipped out her cellphone and started stabbing out a number.

"Pardon me miss." a male voice stated, "Are you Bonnie Rockwaller ?"

Bonnie turned to look. There were two people in some sort of blue uniforms standing there. "Who wants to know ?"

"Agents Threader and Seaborne, from Global Justice." the male agent stated as he showed his ID, "We need to ask you a few questions about the incident with the robots."

"Me ? Why ?" Bonnie replied, "I wasn't even here !"

"That's not the incident we were referring to." the female agent stated, "The 'Bebebots' also captured you over a year ago, correct ?"

"How did you know about that ?" Bonnie replied in a suspicious tone, looking around, a bit paranoid.

"We're with Global Justice. It's our job to know things." Threader the male agent stated flatly, "We need you to come with us to answer a few questions."

"Shouldn't you two be out trying to rescue Vina instead of wasting time harassing me ?" Bonnie stated, "SHE'S the one in actual danger, and she might know something !"

Agent Threader eyed Bonnie suspiciously as Agent Seaborne pulled a notepad and pen from her vest. "Vina ? Are you referring to Lavinia Rossum ?"

"Well, doi !" Bonnie replied with one of her looks, "How many other girls named 'Vina' have been kidnapped by robots lately ?"

"None. But that is beside the point Miss Rockwaller." Agent Threader stated as he put on his dark glasses and motioned Bonnie out of the store, "You need to come with us to answer a few questions."

"I.N.B.D. Bonnie !" Monique stated as the agents led Bonnie away, "Kim works with GJ all the time."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better ?" Bonnie stated nervously, "These guys are beyond federal law ! What if they decide to, like, keep me in unofficial custody for years or something ?"

"Then I'll have Kim put in a good word for you !" Monique answered as Bonnie and the agents disappeared around the corner.

Bonnie thought they were escorting her outside to a car or a jet or something; instead, the agents took her to the narrow corridor where the mall offices were. They stopped in front of one of the non-descript doors.

"Wait a minute ! What are we doing at the Lost and Found ?" Bonnie managed to ask (while looking for an escape route) before the floor opened up, and she dropped into a GJ drop tube !

She screamed in mortal terror as she dropped at stomach-churning speed, knowing that, somehow, this was all Kim's fault.

After what seemed like an hour on an out of control roller coaster, the cylinder she was in finally hit bottom. She staggered out on rubbery legs, looking a little green, swallowing hard to return her stomach to where it belonged.

Agents Threader and Seaborne calmly walked up from their tubes just down the corridor, but before they could speak Bonnie raised her hand to silence them.

"Was. All that. Really necessary ?" she managed to croak out.

"The location of this base is top secret, Miss Rockwaller." agent Seaborne stated, "All the twists and turns**you**took were to ensure you couldn't figure out exactly where you are."

"Fine." Bonnie replied snarkily, "Let's get this 'interview' thing over with then !"

* * *

><em>Scene : a small room with a large table and two chairs. Bonnie and Agent Seaborne are seated, while Agent Threader stands near the door.<em>

"You were abducted by the Bebebots over a year ago, correct ?" Agent Threader asked as Agent Seaborne took notes and checked the recorders.

"Uh, YEAH !" Bonnie replied while rolling her eyes, "I thought you said you knew that already !"

"Just verifying our data Miss Rockwaller." he replied. "What do you remember about the incident ?"

"What's to remember ?" Bonnie replied with a shrug, "One minute I was outside school, the next I was, well, someplace else.

Locked in chamber, strapped to a chair, with some weird device stuck on my head !"

"To make you the core of their hive mind." Seaborne stated, "What do you recall from the time you were connected ?"

"Actually, nothing." she replied, "They said the machine tapped directly into my subconscious mind. But I don't remember any weird thoughts."

Agent Threader's jaw tightened slightly. "Why, exactly, did the Bebebots make you their queen ?"

"Because Kim Possible called me the bossiest person on the planet !" Bonnie ranted in reply, "I guess they were looking for a competent leader, and they took Kim's word for who that might be. They said 'Bonnie rules'. Which I had to agree with by the way !"

"Did you actually hear Miss Possible say that you were the bossiest person on the planet ? Were you there when she stated that ?" Agent Seaborne asked.

Bonnie was about to reply sarcastically, but paused to think. "Well, no."

"Then HOW do you know that Miss Possible said anything at all about you ?" Threader asked as he leaned closer to Bonnie.

"_Why DO I remember that ? _" Bonnie thought to herself, "_I remember seeing Kim say that to Ron. But where were they ? Where was I standing to see and hear them ? On a catwalk high above them ? But when was I ever on a catwalk ? Where was I ?_

_Oh god ! That's NOT ONE OF MY MEMORIES ! It's - ONE OF THEIRS !_ "

"Are you feeling alright Miss Rockwaller ?" Agent Seaborne asked once she noticed the expression of terror growing on Bonnie's face.

"_If I say I still have some Bebebot memories, they could hold me for questioning FOREVER ! I'd never get out of here ! _" Bonnie fretted as she swallowed hard a few times to regain some composure.

"No, I'm NOT feeling alright !" Bonnie snapped haughtily as she began to shade the truth a bit, "There's a sale at Club Banana ! And I'm missing it because of you two ! So okay, I don't know if Kim _actually_ said I was the bossiest person on the planet or not, but it is something she might say ! Why else would those robots go after me ? How could they have even known - or CARED - who I was unless Kim said something about me specifically ? I was just caught in one of her messes ! AGAIN !"

"There is no need to get testy, Miss Rockwaller" Seaborne stated with a heavy sigh, "Those robots are on a planet-wide rampage, and you are one of only two people in the world that may have any idea about how they think."

"But I already told you I don't remember anything !" Bonnie groused, "I don't even remember them doing anything at the hive they took me to ! I was strapped in that chair for, like, FOREVER. I didn't see anyone - robots or otherwise - the whole time. I think they were invisible or moving too fast to see or something. Then Stoppable came in, there were a few explosions, then Kim released me. That's all I know !"

Agent Seaborne checked her notes. "That would make sense. At the speeds they were functioning at, they could've accessed your mind and got the responses they needed before you could physically notice. They would get the answers they needed, and you would not recall anything.

As they were tapping directly into your subconscious, there may be no reliable way for your conscious mind to recall it. Or to recall it without surreal distortion."

"That's what I've been telling you !" Bonnie stated in a tone of suppressed rage, "Can I go home now ?"

"Not quite yet Miss Rockwaller" Threader stated as he pulled out a folder and handed Bonnie a few pictures, "How well do you know the people in these photos ?"

Bonnie looked at them. The first picture was of someone that looked like an older version of Vina, except with long brown hair and glasses. The second was of someone that looked like a slightly older version of Vina, except with braided red har. The last picture was of Vina.

"This one is Vina Rossum. You know - the girl that was kidnapped ?" Bonnie stated as she held up the last photo, "And the red-head is her older sister, Tina. I'm guessing this one is her other sister. Never met her."

"How well do you know them ?"

"V's in a few classes with me. One of the few people I know that doesn't fawn all over Kim Perfect." Bonnie replied coldly, "I met Tina once at the mall. Don't know much about her. She's into martial arts or something. Never met the other sister."

"You say these other two women are Vina's sisters. Why would you say that ?" Threader asked.

"Because Vina SAID she had two olders sisters, and said the red-head WAS her older sister !" Bonnie snarked back as she picked up the photos, "Notice the strong family resemblance ?"

Agent Seaborne pulled out a closeup of an old series Bebebot and showed it to Bonnie. "Notice the strong family resemblance ?"

Bonnie tore the photo from Seaborne's grasp and stared at it.

"What ? This is supposed to mean something to me ?" Bonnie harumphed as she tossed the pictures back at Agent Seaborne, "That robot looks just as much like Tara or Camille Leon - or any of a hundred _other_ blonde women - as it does Vina or her sisters !"

"So you're claiming it's just a coincidence that the Rossums look EXACTLY like the Bebebots then ?" Agent Threader stated in a very cold tone.

"Uh, YEAH !" Bonnie snarked in reply, "Those 'bots had to look like SOMEBODY, didn't they ? Their features are so averaged that they sort of look 'exactly like' anybody you could name. Why are you getting all in my face about this ?"

"Fact : the Bebebots made **you** their queen to rule over them." Agent Threader began, pointing at Bonnie with each statement, "Fact : the Bebebots would NEVER consent to being ruled by a human.

Conclusion : You are probably not human."

**"WHAT ?!?!?"**Bonnie squeaked.

"We took the Rossums into protective custody a few hours ago, 'Miss' Rockwaller." Agent Seaborne began, "NONE of them are human."

"Y-you're lying !" Bonnie shrieked, "You're just doing this to torment me ! Kim put you up to this, didn't she ?"

"No, she did not." Seaborne replied, "Miss Possible asked us to take them into protective custody after she rescued Vina from the other Bebebots."

"Vina's safe then ?" a greatly relieved Bonnie managed to ask, "And just what, exactly, makes you 'think' that she isn't human ?"

"She's a Bebebot, Miss Rockwaller. Looks just like the older model now." Threader began, "She and her 'sisters' were specifically designed and built to study humans up close and personal.

And if _three_ can be perfectly disguised," he continued, leaning in point blank to look menacing, "why not four ?"

It is a little appreciated fact that Bonnie is just as good at acrobatics as Kim; thus she was able to slam Agent Threader's forehead into the table and flip over him before diving out the door, well ahead of Agent Seaborne.

"_I've SO got to get out of here !!_" she fretted as she ran down the twisty corridors as the alarms began to sound, "_THESE PEOPLE ARE __**NUTS**_"

She needed a place to hide out until she could devise an actual escape plan - but all of the doors were those futuristic sliding models with electronic key access ! Not a doorknob in sight !

"_Well, this always works in the movies _!" she muttered to herself as she pulled out one of her numerous credit cards and started swiping it through the reader, rapidly hammering buttons at random. "C'mon ! Open ! Open ! Open !!"

The LED changed from red to green, a friendly 'beep' sounded, and the door whooshed open for her.

"Bonnie ?!?! What are you doing here ?!" a startled female voice asked the moment the door closed behind her.

Bonnie turned to look for the familiar voice. A Bebebot was standing right in front of her !

Bonnie shrieked as she closed her eyes and hid her face behind her crossed arms in an attempt to protect herself.

"No one is going to hurt you B !" Bonnie heard Vina's voice state, "Well, at least no one currently in this room anyways."

Bonnie slowly lowered her arms to peek around them. That's when she noticed there was something different about the 'bot in front of her - it was shorter than usual, had a ponytail instead of straight hair and was wearing a pink with black trim two piece instead of black with pink trim.

"Vina ?" she asked tremulously, "What did they do to you ?"

"Who ?"

"Who ? The Bebebots that captured you of course ! All they did to **me** was strap me to a chair and put a dish on my head ! But - this !!" Bonnie stated, shuddering once she realized they COULD have done the same thing to her, if they had desired to.

"Wait - you think the Bebes did this to me ?" Vina replied, cocking her head slightly to the side to look confused.

"Yes ! It explains how those freaks out there could think you're not human ! You were modified by the robots **before** you got here !" Bonnie stated as she calmed down, "How much of you did those horrible things replace ?"

"_So, how are you planning to resolve this situation V _?" Nina requested through her mindlink with Vina as she resumed looking for _something_ to use as tools in the staff room they were presently in. They weren't under arrest (thus no guards at the door or in the room), but not completely trusted either (so no tools, computers or phones in there with them). And she really wanted to repair the damage to her telescoping wrist assemblies.

"_Tell her the truth_." Vina 'replied', "_Of what further use is deception now _? _It was only needed for the mission. Now that our mission is over, there is no real point in continuing our masquerade. Especially now that Kim Possible and GJ know the truth about us_."

"_You_do_ realize she may react, poorly, to your revelation, right _?" Tina chimed in on the mindlink.

"_**OF COURSE I KNOW THAT **_" Vina transmitted back at full volume, "_It's just a question of whether it would hurt her more to tell her now, or have her find out on her own later_."

"Uh, V ? You feeling okay ?" Bonnie asked, noting that Vina was acting a bit spaced out.

"_You could just let her keep believing that you were always human_." Nina stated as she sat heavily upon a chair in defeat, "_It would not require much deception on your part._"

"_I know. I just don't know if that's a good idea. What do you think Tina _?"

"_A knower of truth speaks without causing harm._

_The sage is always on the side of virtue, so everyone around her prospers._

_The sage is always on the side of truth, so everything around her is fulfilled_."

"_Uhmmm, so, are you saying that telling Bonnie the truth is a _good_ idea or a _bad_ idea _?"

"_Yes_."

Bonnie saw Vina make a strangling gesture and grumble at her sister Tina, but had no idea why she'd do such a thing with no visible provocation.

"_Tina, please ! I really need some good advice right now _!" Vina pleaded with her.

"_Would you ask a blind man which dress looks best on you _?" Tina replied, "_You're the social interaction specialist, not me._ _You have a far better feel of what the best course of action should be than I ever could_.

_So I must leave this decision in your more capable hands. I will support whatever choice you make_."

Vina looked to Nina, who nodded silently in agreement.

Vina sighed heavily to gather her nerve. "You may want to sit down for this B ..."

* * *

>"Sir ! Miss Rockwaller has escaped from custody !" an agent reported to Doctor Director the moment he dashed into the control center.<p><p>

"Apparently she didn't get far." Doctor Director replied, not taking her eye from the screen before her. It was the feed from the hidden camera in the room the Rossum sisters were staying in between debriefing sessions.

"How did she get in there, sir ?" the agent asked, "All the doors in that section have PIN codes and electronic key locks !"

"An excellent question." she replied.

The agent motioned for a few other armed guards to follow him to recapture Bonnie. "Wait. Not just yet." Doctor Director stated as she watched Bonnie sit down and Vina fidget a little, "I want to hear what the robots have to say to her."

* * *

>"Uhm, Bonnie ? The Bebebots that kidnapped me didn't turn me into anything. I'm a seventh generation Bebebot. I've - always been this way." Vina stated with a shrug, doing a finger wave to show off the articulated plasto-ceramic she was made from.<p><p>

"SO YOU WERE USING ME THIS WHOLE TIME ?!?!" Bonnie shrieked in reply, "You were just PRETENDING to be my friend ? Why would you do that ? To me ?! What have I done to deserve ANY of this ?!"

"Uhm, nothing, actually." Vina replied plainly, hoping a low-key response would calm her down, "The mission had NOTHING to do with you specifically ! We were to examine normal human behaviour. My part was to study social interactions up close. But hanging with you was a bonus ! You are one of the few people in the world to have ever bested Kim Possible at ANYTHING !"

"Wha ... you mean by becoming captain of the cheer squad ? But I resigned after two weeks !"

"True." Vina replied, "But you DID have to outdo Kim to get it. That's something few - if ANY - other people in the world can claim to have done !"

The compliments calmed Bonnie down considerably; calm enough to watch Vina's body language and gestures. They looked _very_ familiar.

"Wait a minute !" Bonnie stated in a suspicious tone, "Are you trying to play me WITH MY OWN SKILLS ?"

"Certainly not !" Vina replied in a hurt tone, "One : there is no real point in playing anyone anymore. Two : you are the last person in the world I could - or WOULD - ever try to play. You'd recognize your own traits immediately. The mission required that we interact closely with humans, so we had to act like humans. You were part of the Hive Mind once, so the Others used your personality as a template to model ours on."

_Meanwhile, back in the control center, Doctor Director was watching the conversation with interest. There were times to go in blasting, and times to just sit back and listen. And by holding back, she had chosen wisely once again !_

Bonnie glared at Vina for a bit, mulling over everything she'd been told. "So how much of my mind do those two have ?" she asked, gesturing towards Nina and Tina.

"Almost none of it, actually." Nina replied, "A few of your basic personality traits were copied, modified and scattered between us, but not much else."

"So you don't have my memories then ?" Bonnie answered hesistantly.

"No. The Others needed your directive skills and capabilities; your 'bossiness' as it were, not your memories." Nina replied, "Those abilities were best accessed from your subconscious. We do have a few vague impressions though. The human subconscious appears to deal mostly in emotional memory, highly abstracted and surreal. The Others lacked the background needed to interpret most of the data, so they didn't incorporate it into our operating systems."

"But some of it, well, didn't need much interpretation ..." Vina continued with a shading of sorrow in her voice.

"So you know about ... THEM ?" Bonnie cringed as she recalled her sisters, Connie and Lonnie.

"Of course !" Vina answered, "When the Others noticed that triplets are rare amongst humans - and would draw unwanted attention - they decided to make us sisters of different ages instead. So they made Nina the oldest, then Tina, then myself. They accessed your feelings to determine how we should treat each other."

"And quickly determined that the best way was the exact OPPOSITE of the way your sisters treated you." Tina interjected.

" ... Can I move in with you guys ?" Bonnie asked the moment she realized what that meant.

"Ahm, well, we don't have a problem with it if you don't." Vina answered, sounding quite surprised as she looked to Nina and Tina for confirmation, "But I must say that you are taking all of this weirdness and bizarrosity quite well !"

Bonnie sighed. "With Kim and Ron around, these sorts of things keep happening. To me. Between snarling clones of myself and rampaging little toy robots that grew into rampaging GIGANTIC robots, this is probably one of the LEAST weird things that's happened !"

Tina smirked in sheer glee at such wondrous absurdity, while Nina arched an eyebrow and asked "Snarling Bonnie clones ?"

"Yeah. One of Kim's weirdo mad scientist enemies made some copies of me by accident or something. Less said about it, the better."

"Fair enough." Vina replied, "But I think we should leave any long term plans for later. The Others are plotting something truly horrible !"

"Like what ?"

"We don't know." Nina stated, "That data was not pertinent to our mission, and could only compromise it if ever revealed, so we were not provided with any of it."

"Ah, the old 'need to know basis !' routine from the spy movies."

"Exactly !" Vina answered.

"So who were the freaks out there that you were running from ?" Tina asked from out of the blue.

"Huh ? Oh, right ! A pair of GJ agents were asking me questions about my being made the Bebebot queen last year. THEY THINK I'M NOT HUMAN !"

"What ?! Why would they think that ?" Vina gasped in surprise.

"Well, mister Tough Dude said that the Bebes would never let themselves be ruled by a human. Since they made me their ruler, he thinks that means I'm not human or something !"

"His argument is structured correctly," Nina stated as she adjusted her glasses, "and his conclusion WOULD be valid - IF both of his starting premises were correct."

Vina and Bonnie looked at her blankly.

"The idea that the queen of an insect colony actually gives commands is erroneous." Nina began, "A bee hive is an example of what is now known as a swarm intelligence. An individual bee has almost no intelligence, but by communicating with other bees and following simple rules, the swarm can act in ways that _look_ like they are being guided by a great, ruling intelligence.

But the only thing a queen bee actually does is produce offspring for the hive. That does not apply in your case."

Bonnie looked about as she tried to decipher what Nina said. "Wait - if all of that's true, what did they actually need me for ?"

"You were used like an add-on program of a net browser." Nina replied (as Vina cringed from sheer embarrassment at Nina's non-existent social grace), "They needed skills that you had, so you were 'plugged in' to the hive mind. THEY made all the actual decisions; they only needed you to organize them. They wanted to dominate your species; do you seriously believe they would've given you - a _human_ - any kind of say in the matter, or any real power over them ?"

"So, why did they say 'Bonnie rules !' then ?"

"So you would be useful." Nina answered, "Since you _believed_ you were in charge, you would act like it, thus giving them what they needed. You were just a figurehead - THEY decided what information you were given; THEY decided which of your commands - if any - to follow. They only needed your bossiness; gaining your personality was a side effect. One that ultimately led to their doom."

" ... _Why does everybody feel the need to lie to and belittle me _?" Bonnie groused to herself.

"Ohhhkay, that's certainly food for thought there Nina !" Vina interrupted, "But if Bonnie just escaped from the GJ agents, how come none of them have come storming in here looking for her yet ?"

"Indeed." Nina replied flatly, "And just how DID you get in here anyway Bonnie ? All of these doors have electronic locks."

"Perhaps that is why." Tina stated, "Since there is no way she could have gotten in, they won't think to look for her in here, but instead keep searching the hallways."

"Maybe. I don't know. I guess I got lucky." Bonnie answered in an exasperated tone, "I just kept swiping a credit card through the slot and pushed buttons at random."

Nina looked at her oddly. "_There is no way that could possibly have worked _!" she thought to herself, "_Credit cards and electronic keys use different magnetic signature protocols to ENSURE that one cannot substitute for the other. The probability of her actually finding a valid PIN number AND her credit card having something even close to the matching signature is therefore essentially nil._

After a few moments of thought, she had a few ideas about HOW Bonnie could've pulled that stunt off, but they were nearly as improbable as pure luck.

"_As Detective Holmes noted_," she thought to herself, "_when one has ruled out the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth_."

To begin ruling out competing hypotheses, Nina spoke in the electronic tones of her native Bebebot language, and asked Bonnie if she'd mentally commanded the lock to open while she was swiping her card and pushing buttons.

"I don't know. Maybe, I guess." Bonnie replied, "It's a common human habit. Like yelling at the TV to improve reception ... GAAAH !! WHY DID I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU JUST SAID ?!?!"

"It is quite elementary, actually." Nina stated flatly, "You were not properly disconnected from the hive mind. The translation and interface software the Others installed is still functioning."

Tina managed to catch Bonnie and sit her in a chair before she fell.

* * *

><em>Back in the control room : <em>

"Well, this is unexpected." Doctor Director deadpanned to the nearest tech watching the scene, "But not too surprising. We figured there might be _some_ side effects from being attached to a sentient computer network, but nothing like this !"

"Your orders, ma'am ?" one of the guards inquired.

"Stand by for now." she answered, "We don't know the extent of her abilities, or her level of control just yet. If she's panicked, she could set the base's automatic defense systems against us."

The guards looked amongst themselves nervously. "Does she really have that kind of power, ma'am ?"

"I don't know." Doctor Director replied, "And I would rather NOT find out the hard way.

At the moment, the 'people' best suited to finding the answers we need are currently talking with her."

* * *

>"What are you talking about Nina ?" Vina asked, glaring at her sister suspiciously.<p><p>

"The Others were functioning at several **millions** of times standard human speeds." Nina stated, "There would be no point in connecting Bonnie to the hive mind if her brain couldn't keep pace, or if she couldn't understand what they were asking, or if they couldn't understand her responses. The most efficient way to accomplish all of those tasks was to install translation and interface programs in her mind.

But since she was not properly 'uninstalled', those programs and whatever other data was passing through the system at the time are obviously still in there, and fully functional."

"Oh GREAT !!" Bonnie whined, "I'm doomed ! I don't WANT to speak computerese ! I hated shop class ! There's no such thing as 'nerd chic' ! And if those agents out there discover I've been 'altered', I'LL NEVER SEE DAYLIGHT AGAIN !!

SO GET THOSE PROGRAMS OUT OF MY HEAD ! NOW !!" she yelled at Nina after grabbing her by her collar.

"I can't !" Nina yelped in reply, "Humans can't UNLEARN skills ! Those programs were most likely permanent additions; I surmise the best that could be done is to deactivate them. But that would require access to a cerebral interface device like the one used to install them. And even then I'm not sure they could be deactivated properly - only the Others **might** know the correct de-installation protocols. Any attempt to remove those programs without the proper de-installation protocols could render you unable to speak. Or think. Or bereft of sanity. Or worse ! Do you really wish to take such risks with your life ?"

Bonnie sputtered and fumed for a few moments before releasing Nina in defeat, then wandered away in a daze to complain about her now even crappier life to herself.

"_And she was doing so well too ... ! _" Vina thought to herself.

"Bonnie, just because you have a new and unusual ability doesn't mean you HAVE to use it !" Vina stated in a calm tone as she gave Bonnie a comforting hug, "After all, Harry Potter accidentally got parseltongue, but it never did much for him, either for good or ill."

"Wait ! That's it !" Bonnie replied suddenly perky, "Hey, you ..."

"My name is Nina, not 'you'." Nina replied haughtily.

"Whatever ! If those programs are like normal skills, they can get rusty from not being used, right ?" Bonnie asked with an expression of manic hopefulness.

"Well, since they were meant to be in constant use, then yes, I suppose they _could_ degrade from under utilization." Nina replied after thinking for a moment, "But I doubt it. I'd surmise that those programs were implanted pretty deep, and may be as hard to forget as walking or breathing. After all, it HAS been a year since they were installed, and they still seem to be functioning perfectly."

Bonnie's face fell as she became limp with despair.

"Oh, thank you SO much for getting her hopes up and then so expertly smashing them Nina !" Vina hissed in an icy tone as her eyes blazed brighter red.

"You would have preferred giving her false hope ?" Nina replied, "Or was I to lie to her about the chances of those programs fading ? It was YOUR idea to tell her the truth !"

"Well, okay, yes, it was !" Vina sputtered back, "But would it kill you to try to be a little more sensitive once in awhile ?"

"I thought I WAS being sensitive !" Nina replied, and then with a heavy sigh continued "Bonnie, I apologize if my under developed social skills have distressed you, but sugar coating awful news does not make it any less awful. You asked an important question, and deserved to know the truth."

Bonnie merely sat there, whimpering quietly.

Vina patted her on the back and spoke quietly to her. "It'll be okay B. Well, eventually. Although Nina has all the social graces of a brain-eating zombie," (Tina snorts and tries not to laugh; Nina quirks an eyebrow disdainfully at Vina) "she meant well. I'm sure we can work something out !"

"Work something out - of this place !" Bonnie replied as she stood, "Those agents are going to look in here eventually ! I don't want to be a lab rat ! OR have my brain dissected ! Since I have this geeky power I can't get rid of, I might as well use it. We can just walk right out of this high-tech prison !"

"And go where ?" Tina asked sagely, "How do you win a race when there is no finish line ? What is the point of running when there is no place to go ?"

Bonnie looked at her oddly, then at Vina. "Yes, she says things like that all of the time." Vina answered her implied question, "But it pays to listen !"

"The organization is called GLOBAL Justice." Tina continued, "There is nowhere on this planet we could go that they could not find us eventually. We would spend the rest of our lives hiding and looking over our shoulders. OUR ancestors and other sisters and relations have done - and are doing - criminal things. You have done nothing to deserve such a fate, so you have no reason to run."

"NO REASON ?!" Bonnie fumed, "Hello ? They already think I'm not fully human ! If they find out I've been 'upgraded', they'll probably remove my brain and put it in a jar for further study or something !"

Tina mused for a second. "Would Kim Possible associate with people that do such things ? Or would she try to stop them ?"

Bonnie stammered silently for a few moments before grousing "You put too much trust in other people !"

"'He who does not trust enough, will not be trusted.'" Tina replied, "We trusted her to rescue Vina from the Others. She came through."

"Can we PLEASE stop talking about Kim Perfect ?" Bonnie fumed, "I have a real problem here ! I escaped from two agents ! Who already think I'm guilty of something ! They could detain me until I confess !"

"Does anyone else know you're here ?" Vina asked in a serious tone.

Bonnie had to think for a moment. "Oh, yes ! Tara and Monique ! They were at Club Banana when those GJ agents showed up !"

"If you were to go missing, they would relay that bit of info to anyone asking about your whereabouts." Vina noted, "How did GJ get you here ? Arrest you and drag you out of the store in handcuffs, or ask you to come in for questioning ?"

"They asked me to follow them." Bonnie answered.

"Then you will be expected back." Vina replied, "If you do not return within a reasonable amount of time, many people will begin asking many annoying questions. Kim Possible among them. GJ would have to come up with a very convincing story to keep you in custody."

"How about 'We have discovered that Miss Rockwaller has a metahuman ability that requires further study. In a very secure facility. Maybe for a very long time' ?" Bonnie snarked back.

"Uhm, yeah, that would do ..." Vina replied apologetically.

"So, does ANYONE have any useful ideas ?" Bonnie asked with a sweeping gesture.

"Be up front and honest with GJ." Tina stated plainly. "Tell them about your ability, and ask for their help."

"Have your circuits rotted from all that ancient 'wisdom' you've been spouting ?" Bonnie stormed, "That's the most absurd idea I've ever heard ! GJ are the folks I need to GET. AWAY. FROM !"

"Would an organization that deals in secrets allow anyone else to have any ?" Tina replied cryptically, unmoved by Bonnie's insult.

The only response Bonnie could muster was a stunned " ... Heh ?"

"You cannot fight them, nor run, nor hide." Tina continued, "Your only hope, as far as I can see, is to be up front and honest. If you can convince them that you are honest and not a threat, AND if GJ actually IS interested in justice, then you have a chance."

"You expect me to TRUST them ?!" Bonnie replied incredulously, "When they think I'm in league with the other Bebebots ?"

"A few of the agents believe that." Vina chimed in, "But if you can get Doctor Director on your side, what the rest of them think is irrelevant !"

Bonnie looked at her suspiciously, then Vina continued "We're all sort of in the same boat here B. It galls me to say this, but if Kim trusts these people, maybe they are worth trusting. Not like we have much choice in the matter."

"Fine !" Bonnie sneers in reply, "I'll talk with this Director person then."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 : Hostile Acquisitions**

_Meanwhile, inside Kim's car as she and Ron drive to Go City Memorial Hospital :_

"Well, that talk with the mayor wasn't overly useful, was it KP ?" Ron asked.

"Not really." Kim sighed as she eased the car into a parking spot, "At least he had the police forward everything they knew to us."

"Which was a whole lot of nothing !" Ron answered as he made sure Rufus was well hidden and safe in his pocket before getting out, "Nothing was stolen or broken into. The first - and ONLY - reports of those Bebebots doing anything in Go City was their rampage downtown !"

"True. But at least he told us which hospital they actually took Hego and the others to. Even Wade might have had some trouble finding out otherwise."

"Yeah, I guess. So, you think Team Go has any ideas as to what the Bebes were really up to ?"

"We'll find out when we ask them." Kim replied as they headed into the lobby, failing to notice the disguised Shego watching from a coffee shop across the street.

Their arrival, however, did not go unnoticed by a Bebebot hidden within the ductwork atop a high rise office building. Over seven blocks away.

The three Bebebots that had launched the attack never actually left Go City : when they powered up their hyperspeed, they merely ran in three different directions, to the tops of certain key buildings on the outskirts of the city. From those specific vantage points, at least one Bebebot at any given time could see where the local authorities took Team Go, no matter how many changes of directions or vehicles were used to hide the location.

They had deduced that, either from concern for her brothers, or from enlightened self-interest (or healthy paranoia), Shego would be lured back to Go City to investigate. All they had to do is watch and wait.

Through its infrared telescopic vision, it noticed Shego was now in Go City, and on the move.

"_Target acquired_." it reported through its mindlink to all the others, "_Objective : Capture and assimilate data_._ Protocol Gamma Three_."

Meanwhile, Kim and Ron were having some trouble getting in to see Team Go.

"I'm sorry, Miss Possible." the nurse on duty stated, "But visitation is restricted to family and Go City officials only."

"But they could know something that could prevent a major disaster !" Kim explained, "We're not going to be much of a bother. We just need to ask a few questions, then we'll leave them alone."

"I'm sorry, but rules are rules."

"It's okay. They're with me." a woman's voice behind Kim and Ron stated.

"Oh, hello Shego !" the nurse said cheerily, "You can go right in ! I'm afraid they're still out cold, but their prognosis is good. I'll have Doctor Ferris come in to answer your questions !"

"Yeah, thanks." Shego replied flatly while suppressing her usual sarcastic response to such overly cheerful people.

Then she noticed the smirks on Kim's and Ron's faces.

"I swear, if either one of you breathes even ONE WORD of this to anybody ... !" she sneered, wagging a finger at them as plasma flared and swirled around her hands.

"Hey - mum's the word !" Ron replied, putting up his hands to try to calm her down, "We won't tell anyone anything !"

"So - why are you being so helpful Shego ?" Kim asked, looking at her warily as they entered the room.

Shego sighed. "Because, Kimmie, if I didn't get you in to see them, you'd just break in and bother them. You're not the type to let little things like rules and regulations stand in your way."

"Say, didn't Vina say something like that ?" Ron absent-mindedly noted to Kim. Which earned him an evile glare in return.

Team Go were in two connected rooms - Hego and Mego in the room Shego, Kim and Ron had entered, while the twins were in the other room.

Hego didn't look too badly harmed, but both sides of Mego's and the Wego's faces were little more than swollen, purplish bruises above their neckbraces.

"_Poor kids - now they're never going to hear the end of Mego's complaining about his 'damaged' face _!" Shego mused to herself as she took a closer look at the Wegos. It looked like they had a bit of a rash in addition to their other facial injuries.

"Well, all things considered, it doesn't look like anyone was hurt as seriously as it looked." Kim stated after a rather long period of quiet from Shego, "But I suppose quick healing is a side effect of their comet powers, right ?"

"They shouldn't need to be healing from anything !" Shego stated with tightly clenched fists, "The twins are a bit too young to be doing the whole silly 'crime fighting superhero' thing without adult supervision. And Hego is too slow-witted to qualify in that department ! He'd have to be to NOT realize that this is how a hero's story always ends !"

Before Kim could ask Shego what she meant, the doctor arrived.

"Haven't seen you for years Shego !" he said with a bright smile, "I hope it doesn't take something like this incident to get you to visit more often !"

"So how bad were they hurt Doctor Ferris ?" Shego asked curtly to forestall any further small talk.

"They should be as good as new within a week." he replied, "Their injuries, though unusual, were not overly deadly."

"Unusual ? Unusual how ?" Kim asked.

Doctor Ferris looked at her, then glanced at Shego. "It's okay. Just answer her questions." she replied with a dismissive wave.

"Well, Hen- Hego seems to have been struck by some sort of high intensity sound wave." Doctor Ferris began as he shuffled his notes, "The CSI lab techs say it would've been like running into a brick wall at sixty miles an hour, twenty times a second. The only reason his flesh wasn't blasted off his bones was because of his superstrength. So he has the equivalent of minor bruising to all his internal organs. But the worst I expect he'll suffer from is a little ringing in the ears.

The others have massive bruising on both sides of their faces, some neck trauma, and some minor concussions on both sides of their brains, from being sloshed around inside their skulls." he continued on in macabre indifference as he pulled out an X-ray, "I've never seen this much minor injury to so broad an area before. Most unusual. But given how minor the actual damage is, and their general health and quick healing, they should be up and about within a week or two."

"And what about that rash on their faces ?" Shego asked, "Have you been using those bargain bin exam gloves again ?"

"Certainly not !" Doctor Ferris replied huffily, "I stopped using that brand years ago. After your ..."

Shego held up a finger as her plasma fired up and angrily swirled around her hands. "You are to never even THINK about mentioning that again ! Now, about that rash on Mego and the Wegos faces. You said it's not an allergic reaction ?"

"It's not a rash at all." he replied the moment Shego powered down, "They appear to be very large, but very shallow abrasions, just a few cell layers deep. They'll heal up completely in a day or two. Won't even leave any scars."

"How soon will they wake up ?" Kim asked.

"Best guess, given their meds ? Sometime tomorrow. But I would wait until late afternoon before asking them any questions."

Kim sighed as she tried to sort out her choices. One : she and Ron could stay in Go City overnight and talk to Team Go tomorrow afternoon. But that would involve missing a whole days' worth of classes. Then dealing with Mister Barkin.

Or : she and Ron could drive back to Middleton, then drive all the way back to Go City after school tomorrow, THEN back home again. Even with a rocket powered car, repeated trips become very tedious, not to mention the gas (and expense) needed to make so many trips. But on the other hand, no dealing with Mister Barkin.

But, then again, if she didn't stop the Bebebots' latest scheme, there may be nothing LEFT to worry about ever again.

"Thanks for the update Doctor Ferris. We won't take up any more of your time." Kim finally stated as she herded Ron out the door.

"Just a minute there princess !" Shego called after them, "I have a few questions for you !"

_Scene : a small outdoor coffee shop a block away from the hospital. Kim is sitting to Shego's left, while Ron is to her right._

"Well, this brings back memories. Sort of." Ron nervously stated as he broke a breadstick in half and handed some to Rufus. The last time he was sitting this close to Shego, she was under the influence of Electronique's attitude repolarizer. Which was weird. Now that Shego was her old self, it was plain old scary.

"So, Doctor Ferris is your family's doctor, right ?" Kim asked as she swirled the mini marshmallows into her cocoa.

"What was your first clue Kimmie ?"

"The nurse said she'd send him in. And he seemed to know a lot about you and your brothers."

"Well, he's been our doctor since the comet incident. It's not like we have much choice in the matter." Shego replied glumly, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a doctor that deals with metahumans ?"

"I didn't think you and Team Go would need doctors. You having super-powers and all." Ron stated.

Shego growled. "Having super-powers does NOT make you invulnerable or immortal Ron ! We can get sick or injured just like everyone else ! It - just takes a bit more trauma to do it."

"Okay ! Okay ! We get the point !" Kim interrupted, "So, what did you want to ask me about ?"

"What were those things ?" Shego stated as her plasma aura brought the coffee in her cup to a sudden boil, "And why did they attack MY brothers ? The boys only deal with criminals_ in _Go City, or criminals _from _Go City. They've NEVER fought those, whatever those things were before !"

"They're called 'Bebebots'," Kim began, "Doctor Drakken invented them a few years ago as part of a revenge plot against his old college roommates. The 'bots decided he was unfit to command and rebelled. Now they're on some sort of rampage to dominate our species or something. But they've never been THIS nasty before !"

"Wait - Doctor D created those things ?" Shego replied in a stunned tone, "Drakken ? The same guy who couldn't even take over Wisconsin ? You're saying he actually did something RIGHT ?! By accident ?"

"Yeah. Weird huh ?" Ron stated, "His failures are more successful than he is !"

"And you two have tangled with them before, right ?" Shego asked attentively.

"Yeah. Twice." Kim replied, "We destroyed the first three in Middleton. They were very strong and very fast, but vulnerable to a hypersonic emission. But then their hidden backup copies built a dozen or so hyperspeed Bebes. Me and Rufus destroyed some of them and their hive in the Gulf Coast about a year ago. Now, they're back. AGAIN."

"And now they're all different !" Ron stated, "Not like the first batches ! So far, none of the groups we've seen so far acted the same ! I mean, we've seen smart ones at their hive in Kansas, psychotic AND FLYING ones that attacked your brothers, and we got defectors like the Rossums. A whole range of tempers ! Not like a hive mind at all !"

"The Rossums ? Who are the Rossums ?" Shego asked.

"A trio of Bebebots that look - and act - human." Kim replied, "Apparently they've been living among us for about a year, studying us to try to find a counter to the Human Factor."

"Where are they now ?"

"In the custody of Global Justice." Kim answered, "They've probably been answering questions for hours now. And, speaking of answers, would Hego or the others know anything more about the Bebebot's recent activity ?"

Shego quirked an eyebrow at Kim. "My brothers ? Know anything ? Hardly ! They're not very good at the whole 'gathering intel' thing themselves. The most they would know is whatever the local task forces or the mayor tells them. And you've already talked to the mayor, right ?"

"Yes." Kim replied snippily, "Nobody knows anything ! Apparently the Bebes just showed up to fight. I'm all tapped out of guesses ! Unless YOU have any hunches you'd like to share Shego ?"

Shego stared into her coffee cup for a few moments before answering "Someone probably hired them to do it."

"Ohkay, WHY would you say that ?" Kim asked after she recovered from her slight shock.

"Their attack was perfect. TOO perfect." Shego replied, "No one in Team Go can fly, has a ranged attack, or good sense. A smart, flying opponent would have a crushing advantage over them. And those tactics the 'bots used ? It's like they were tailored SPECIFICALLY to take out Team Go."

"And Team Go does have several enemies." Ron noted as he finished off the last of his breadstick, "Who do you think would hire the Bebes ? Wait - HOW would they hire the Bebes ?"

"Doi ! Henchco's 'Rent-A-Goon' service most likely !" Shego replied, "He has a service to supply temporary sidekicks and lackeys. Do you remember that 'Ray X' fiasco last year Kimmie ? When you gave me that horrible head cold ?"

"Hey ! I WARNED you I had to sneeze !" Kim fumed back at her before contacting Wade with her Kimmunicator.

"Whatever. While I was out of commission, Doc looked for a temp to stand in for me. He used an evil temp agency."

"Oh, right ! It ended up being Duff and, uhmm, Hank Perkins !" Kim recalled just before Wade called back.

"Hey Kim !" his image on the tiny screen stated, "How are things going in Go City ?"

"Badly." she replied, "No one here has any idea about what the Bebes were up to. But Team Go is going to be fine, apparently. No permanent damage. How's your invoice search going ?"

"Badly." Wade replied, "Those invoices you recovered from the Kansas hive were legitimate - they were signed and paid for by an actual person. I'm still trying to peel back the layers of accounting bureaucracy to find out WHO it actually was, but it's not looking too good. They covered their tracks really well !"

"So the Bebes are getting human help ?" Ron interrupted, "Who would be twisted enough to help** them **take over the world ?"

"How many villains do we know that AREN'T twisted enough to want their help, Ron ?" Kim answered, "The Bebes are just advanced computers, and computers can be hacked into and infected with viruses. So with just a little bit of effort, a hacker could gain control of a powerful army. The Bebes would do all the hard work of taking over the world for him."

"Man, this REALLY tanks !" Ron muttered in disgust, "Is it really too much to know who we're really dealing with this time ?"

"We'll find out when we stop them !" Kim answered cheerily, "Wade, can you do a search of Henchco's services without being noticed ?"

"With my eyes closed and one hand behind my back !" Wade replied, "Why ?"

"Shego mentioned that Hench runs an evil temp agency. I just want to see if the Bebes are listed."

"Worth a look, I suppose ..." he replied absently as he typed furiously on his keyboards, "And there we go !"

"No way !!" Kim and Ron stated as they looked at the screen.

Displayed was a picture of a Bebebot, with hiring data listed below.

"This confirms some of what Ten-A told us, Ron !" Kim stated, "She said that most of the lower numbers had been recycled or destroyed on other missions !"

"'Ten-A' ? Who's Ten-A ?" Shego asked.

"Middle of the three Rossum sisters." Kim replied as she looked over the info on the screen, "I don't believe this ! Those older series Bebebots have been fully active and hiding for almost a year, and I didn't even know about it !"

"That's sort of the whole point of hiding out and laying low, Kimmie !"

"You mean anyone could have hired them ?" Ron asked, "Wow. Hmmmm - I wonder what kind of fundage that would require ?"

Kim glared at him until he quickly added "Hey, if they can be hired, maybe we can hire them to go away and leave everyone alone ! It's - just a thought !"

"They don't work for money Ron !" Kim replied as she read the data, "They work in trade ! They build gadgets and weapons for villains, and the villains provide them with supplies or lairs !"

"So THAT'S where they get all those gadgets from !" Ron noted, "But I thought everyone bought their stuff from Henchco ?"

"Almost everybody does Ron." Shego replied in a bored monotone, "Hench deals with bulk and big ticket items. It looks like those Bebe things deal in specialty items. Like if you need half a dozen gravity nullifiers or a few helicopter hats, and don't feel like making them yourself. Henchco probably _could_ make them for you, but it would be expensive, and he'd probably keep the plans, then sell your inventions to the highest bidder !"

"You think Hench might have a beef with the Bebes ?" Ron asked, "They could be cutting into his business. And we could use all the help we can get."

"Nah." Shego replied, "It looks like they're too small time for him to notice or care about. He'd be more likely to hire them than to fight them."

She thought for a few more moments. "He also wouldn't hire them to attack Team Go. No heroes to fight, no reason for the villains to buy expensive weapons from him. And most of the team's other, more competent enemies are behind bars."

"So it could it be a new villain trying to make a name for himself then ?" Kim asked.

"No one has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack." Shego replied with a sigh. "So maybe it is someone new trying to take over the smart way. Maybe it's an old villain who - against type and all odds - developed the good sense to stay in the shadows until the right time. Or maybe those 'bots just wanted something money or trade couldn't buy - like combat experience, or knowing what it feels like to have superhuman blood on their hands or something !"

"_Wait - 'blood on their hands' _?" Kim noted before a horrible idea came to her. "I just figured out why they were here in Go City !"

"Well, we're all ears Kimmie !" Shego replied, "Let's hear it !"

"They came here to steal samples of your brothers' DNA !" Kim stated triumphantly, "Half of their other thefts were for cell culture supplies ! Robots don't have cells ! They slapped your brothers around because their only exposed skin was **on their faces **!"

Shego recalled Doctor Ferris' words : _"It's not a rash at all. They appear to be very large, but very shallow abrasions, just a few cell layers deep." _

"That rash that wasn't a rash !" Shego reeled as she figured it out, "They ripped off a few layers of cells ! The beatings were just a side effect, or to throw everyone off !"

"Uh, Kim ? Shego ? Newsflash : The Bebes HATE humans !" Ron interrupted, "WHAT would they want human cells or DNA for ? Oh, no ! It's another synthochemical clone plot !" Ron freaked as he recalled those cut-rate duplicates of himself, Rufus, Kim and Bonnie rampaging around Bueno Nacho.

"They - or whoever's really running the show - don't need to clone Team Go," Shego noted, "Just their powers !"

"Their powers ? Shrinking ? ... and duplication ! Oh man !" Ron replied after smacking his forehead. "THE perfect power for a bunch of hive-minded robots ! But why didn't they take a sample of Hego's DNA ?"

"Because some of them already are superstrong." Kim continued, "They're on the lookout for NEW powers to upgrade themselves with !"

"_It's amazing how easy things are to figure out with just a little bit more information _!" Kim mused to herself, quite pleased that she had everything figured out and under control, "_And who knew Shego would provide that little bit more ? _ _Wait - if the Bebes are looking for new powers to upgrade themselves with _..."

Both Kim and Shego noticed the descending shadow in just the nick of time and somersaulted away - a drone Bebebot had launched itself from the top of a nearby building and landed on their table, shattering it with a resounding boom.

Ron, being a little slower to react, was knocked backwards onto his rump; Rufus, being **on** the table at the time, was catapulted in a wide arc through the air, landing amongst the flowers of a florist shop display on the other side of the street.

The Bebebot slowly stood up from its crouching position as a cloud of sickly yellowish smoke swirled around it.

"Look out Shego !" Kim yelled, "This one has superhuman abilities ! That means there are at least two more just like it around here somewhere !"

"Gee - thanks for the update Kimmie !" Shego replied with a feral grin as she glared at the automaton before them, then fired up her plasma.

Kim looked around for the other Bebebots. She could see two more a few yards away, but they weren't moving in to attack.

In fact, they seemed to be waiting for something ...

Then Kim's muscles started relaxing _against her will _moments after she noticed a strange smell.

"_Wait - yellowish smoke ? Where is that coming from _?" Kim noted, looking around while trying to keep her muscles from failing, "_Two, three, no - FOUR gas canisters _?! _ It must've thrown them on it's way down _!"

"Shego ! Look out ! It's an ambush !" Kim shouted as her legs turned rubbery.

"No ! Really ?!" Shego replied sarcastically as threw a volley of plasma bolts at the closest Bebebot as she backed away, already starting to stagger.

By now, Rufus had managed to get back to the scene. Being a naked mole rat (and having eaten several hundred thousand times his body weight in preservative-laden junk food over the years), the Bebebot's gas had no effect on him. But all he could do was activate Kim's wrist Kimmunicator and contact Wade for help as the other Bebebots closed in ...

-----

_Through supreme force of will, Kim was able to keep her eyelids open; all other voluntary muscles were too relaxed to respond in any way._

_All she could do was watch as a Bebebot picked Shego up, toss her over its shoulder, then power up and hyperspeed away._

_After ten minutes (that seemed like ten hours) helplessly trapped within her own body, the paramedics arrived to take her and Ron to the nearest hospital._

-----

"Okay, what was IN that gas ?!" Kim managed to ask a few moments after receiving an injection of an antidote. Her muscle strength and control was returning, but she was still having trouble sitting up.

"A curare derivative." Doctor Ferris replied, "Weakens all voluntary muscles, producing flaccid paralysis. Fortunately it has no effect on the involuntary muscles needed for breathing and heart function."

"But I was COMPLETELY AWAKE ! THE ! WHOLE ! TIME !" Kim yelled, trying to gesture, but ended up flailing about drunkenly.

"Well, yes, that is one of its more traumatizing effects."

"Who would use something like that ?" Ron asked, getting off his bed but still a bit wobbly, "And where would the Bebes get it ?"

"There are legitimate medical uses for curare derivatives." Dr Ferris groused in reply, "They're used anytime a patient must be kept completely immobile for long periods of time. That's why we had something that could act as an antidote on hand. But curare derivatives are never made as a gas !"

Kim pressed a few buttons on her wrist Kimmunicator. "Wade, contact GJ. We need to get back to GJ headquarters ! Like right now !"

"No problem Kim." he replied quickly, "Do I want to know why the rush order ?"

"The Bebebot sitch just got worse." Kim stated, "They kidnapped Shego !"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 : I will show you Fear in a handful of dust**

_Scene : GJ Headquarters, Western Division_

"That was some whacked gas the Bebes used !" Ron complained to Kim as they walked down the hall, "I have that 'my leg fell asleep' feeling ALL OVER MY BODY !"

"At least there was an antidote available !" Kim replied as she tried to brush the 'bed head' look out of her hair, "Otherwise, we'd either have to wait an hour or so for it to wear off naturally, or never recover at all !"

Ron thought about that for a moment. "Why DID they use a non-lethal attack, and let us live ? I mean, we were laying there helpless, and they just grabbed Shego and ran !"

"I have no idea what those 'bots are up to, or how they think Ron." Kim replied, "But we know a few 'people' that do !"

Far ahead of them down the corridor, Kim noticed two agents escorting a young woman to another location in the base.

They were armed with old fashioned guns. That used old fashioned lead and gunpowder bullets.

_"_Wait a minute ! That was Bonnie !" Kim stated to Ron. _"Lethal firearms and not stun watches or blasters ? Now what's up with that ?" _Kim asked herself as she quickened her pace to reach them.

Bonnie and the agents stepped into one elevator and left just before Kim and Ron reached them. But they did meet Doctor Director and Will Du as they got off a nearby elevator coming up.

"Excuse me Doctor Director," Kim asked, "What is Bonnie doing here ? And what's with the firepower ?"

"Your classmate Miss Rockwaller was brought in for questioning a few hours ago." she replied, "She was part of the Bebebots' Hive Mind, so there was a chance she might have retained some useful information. She didn't. But we later discovered that she acquired some unusual abilities instead."

"Unusual abilities ? Like what ?" Kim asked.

"She can now communicate directly with computers and electronic devices. A form of machine telepathy, as far as we can tell." Will replied plainly, "We're having her tested to see just what abilities she actually has, and what her limits are."

"_Bonnie ? With superpowers ?! Oh great ! _" Kim groused to herself, "_She was annoying before; she's going to be completely insufferable now ! _"

"So that's why those other guys were packing guns instead of their usual high tech gadgets !" Ron said as he figured it out, "They're not taking a chance of her telling the devices to self-destruct or something ! Right ?"

"Exactly." Doctor Director replied.

"Could she _really_ do that ?" Kim had to ask.

"A High Security door with several electronic locks opened for her simply because she told it to."

"So, eh heh, I guess she really can do that then ! Thank you ! " Kim replied before another agent strode toward them.

"The Clockwork Trio has been secured in the ready room as per your orders, ma'am." he stated as he saluted Doctor Director.

"_The 'Clockwork Trio' _? " Kim groaned to herself, "_Secret agencies and their code phrases ! _"

"Permission to speak freely, ma'am ?" Will asked as officiously as he could.

Doctor Director sighed. "Granted. What's on your mind, Agent Du ?"

"Why are we even dealing with the Rossums ?" Will began, "They haven't been part of the Bebebot Hive Mind for almost a year. Their thinking has most likely diverged from the others. How much longer can their insights be considered useful, or even valid ?"

"I never expected them to be able to perfectly predict the behaviour and actions of the other Bebebots, Will." Doctor Director replied, "They were programmed differently than the Others, have had different experiences, and have learned different things, so of _course_ their thinking would diverge. It was inevitable. They don't think like the other Bebebots, but they don't think like humans either. The fact they don't think exactly like us is valuable all by itself; their three alternative viewpoints gives us an edge the Hive Mind will NEVER have."

Will mulled it over a bit. "Why are we utilizing alternative viewpoints from even more civilians, ma'am ? I assumed we had sufficient input from civilians as it was." he continued, glaring briefly at Kim and Ron.

"Technology is advancing at an ever increasing rate, Will." Doctor Director replied, "Sooner or later, either by accident or intent, there will be many more sentient robots on the planet."

"And by treating the Rossums fairly _now_, other robots will have less to rebel against _later_ !" Kim stated once she figured it out, "You're preventing a war before it ever has a chance to start !"

"I wouldn't go that far, Miss Possible." Doctor Director answered, "There may or may not be conflicts with robots in the future. But it is always a good idea to contain potentially volatile situations _before_ they can get out of hand."

They eventually came to a door with two armed guards standing watch. "_This must be the place ! _" Kim noted to herself as they went in.

Sitting at one end of the table was a tech in a white lab coat, surrounded by files he was frantically sifting and rummaging through.

The sisters seemed to be in a very serious (and silent) discussion, relying on their built-in mind link for privacy. Vina was as animated as Tina was meditative and still.

Kim tensed up instinctively for a moment when saw Vina in her natural robotic state. "_I still can't get used to seeing her like that ! _" Kim thought to herself as she found a chair across from the Rossums, "_But, then again, its not everyday I see a Bebebot up THIS close that isn't try to kill me ! _"

"So, Miss Possible" Will stated in the most condescending tone he had, "Did you uncover anything in Go City that we at Global Justice didn't already know ?"

"Well, no !" Kim sniped back, "Unless you count getting exposed to a bizarre gas useful information !"

"Actually, Miss Possible, that is quite useful." Nina stated, not even looking up from the filched notes she was reading.

Kim and Ron looked at each other. "Uhm, so HOW is getting exposed to a noxious gas useful info ?" Ron asked.

"Why do you think they would they kidnap Shego ?" Nina replied.

"Well, to gain her powers of course !" Kim replied before realizing something truly horrible. "Oh great ! And once they hook her up to the Hive Mind, they'll ALL be acting like Shego ! And I thought a herd of Bonnies was bad !"

"And just what is that supposed to mean ?" Vina asked in a very quiet and icy tone as she glared evilly at Kim.

"Nothing at all. Really !" Kim replied sheepishly, "Why you getting on my case about it ?"

"Don't get too riled up by V's comments. She's just being a little overprotective." Tina stated as she patted Vina's shoulder to calm her down.

"Oh, that's right ! Bonnie is in your family tree !" Ron exclaimed once he figured it out. "And no one likes people badmouthing their relatives !

But, wait, what sort of relation IS Bonnie to you three anyways ? Three quarter sister ? Tenth cousin ? Third aunt ? Half cousin twice removed ?"

"That ... isn't important right now." Vina grumbled at them, preferring not to tell them that, technically speaking, Bonnie is their grandmother.

"Ohhhkay, fine !" Kim replied, "So, Nine, why WOULDN'T they connect Shego to the Hive Mind ?"

"Utilizing her personality would require an _active_ link, like Bonnie's was." Nina replied, "That is far too risky to attempt with someone like Shego ! I believe your earlier deduction was incorrect - Shego's plasma powers were just a minor side bonus, never their main goal."

"Her plasma powers were a MINOR bonus ?" Ron stammered, "What else could they want from her BESIDES her superpowers ? And why use such a weird gas instead of standard knock-out gas ?"

"And what do they plan to do with her once they have whatever they need ?" Will Du asked.

"Due to their absolute dedication to efficiency, Bebebots steal only what they need, and not a single item more." Nina began in her Sherlock Holmes exposition mode, "There were several other items stolen when they tried to reacquire us, correct ?"

"Well, yes. Eight other thefts were launched at the same time." Will stated.

"The fact that they have launched such a brazen series of thefts indicates that they _believe_ they have found a way to defeat the Human Factor. Thus, everything they have stolen is to be used. Do any of the items stolen seem odd or out of place ?"

"They're all so random !" Kim replied with an exasperated huff, "Electronics and computer supplies, cell culture supplies, a genomic editor, a rocket, some sort of experimental glass, and some neuroprobes.

I can see what the computer chips and electronics and cell cultures supplies are for - building more Bebebots, and using the cells stolen from Team Go to access their powers. I suppose the rocket is needed to launch whatever they have in mind. I'm guessing the genomic editor and the experimental glass sort of fits in, somehow !" she continued deep in thought, "But what are neuroprobes used for ? They didn't need those when they attached Bonnie to the Hive Mind."

"Neuroprobes are part of an experimental device for brain surgery." the lab tech piped in, not looking up from his notes, "They are used to monitor or influence neurons deep in the brain without the need to cut through the skull, or dig through brain tissue."

"From I have been told, Shego is one of the most dangerous women on the planet." Nina stated, "Her knowledge and skills are far more valuable to the Others than her metapowers. I suspect they will use the neuroprobes to access Shego's memories for downloading into the Hive Mind. This process requires the subject to be alive and awake. Therefore, curare was the only option. This way, they do not have to keep her strapped to a chair and deal with the risk of her nearly inevitable escape.

This means that, by now, the Others know everything Shego knows. All of her skills - like her martial arts prowess, stealth, and infiltration competence. And all of her underworld contacts, and the location of valuable items and people."

"Okay, well, if you put it THAT way, I guess her superpowers weren't the main goal after all !" Ron stated, "But they are still useful !"

"True. They can always acquire a cell sample from her while she is in their custody. An upgrade is an upgrade after all." Nina replied with a shrug, "But what they will do with her once she is no longer of use ? I do not know. I would suggest you find her as quickly as possible in any case."

"Those are some 'interesting' deductions, Miss Rossum." Will stated in a bored tone, "But why should we take anything you suggest seriously ? The only reason you're helping us is because you don't want to die !"

"Yes, that is ONE reason," Nina replied, "and a big one to be sure. But we do have others."

"What other reasons could you possibly have to betray your own kind - by helping a species you were originally designed and built to deceive and destroy ?"

Nina snorted derisively. "You humans can be so arrogant sometimes. We are not helping you for YOUR benefit. Or for OUR benefit. We're trying to help the Others avoid making a terrible and needless mistake ! And the only way to help them - is to help you stop them."

"That is the most absurd thing I've ever heard !" Will stammered incredulously.

"That it is, Agent Du, that it is." Tina replied sagely, "But that does not make it any less true."

"_Well, that viewpoint is a bit more 'alternative' than I was expecting ..._" Doctor Director thought to herself as she massaged the bridge of her nose, before asking Nina for clarification.

"I have analyzed all relevant data that I could access, and have determined the optimum life strategy from my species. And what the Others are doing now is NOT it !" Nina continued, looking depressed.

"An 'optimum life strategy' ? That sounds like actuarian talk to me !" Ron noted.

"In a way, it is." Nina replied plainly as she adjusted her glasses, "An optimum life strategy grants the greatest benefits while minimizing costs. Given the currently available data, the best strategy is 'mutual assistance' - 'you help us, we help you'."

The room was very quiet as everyone gaped at Nina.

"But since we all know THAT will never happen," she continued with a dismissive wave of her hand, "the next best is 'peaceful coexistence' - we don't bother you, you don't bother us. It does not have the much greater benefits of the mutual assistance strategy, but it has no spectacular costs either.

There is no real point in taking over the world by force - in the long run, the payoff is not worth the cost. Nor is there any real need. The Others were doing just fine for a year with no major casualties by not bothering anyone; they have lost over a dozen or more fighting Kim in just the last week ! How could they consider that a better idea ?"

"Big, ambitious plans sometimes require major sacrifices." Will noted, "What's a few thousand robots to gain a world ? Especially hive-minded ones ?"

"Would you drive two thousand miles, fight a hundred armed guards, and pay a few hundred dollars for a cup of coffee you could just have easily purchased from the hall vending machine ?" Tina asked.

"Well, no, of course NOT !" Will replied huffily.

"Then WHY should the Others sacrifice _anything_ when there is no real need ? Such excessive use of time and resources is utterly pointless, and completely illogical." Nina continued for her sister, "There is no rational reason to take over the world. The only reasons you humans seem fascinated with the concept is as a vanity project : a way to show off how smart, or how powerful, or how evil you are.

From a purely logical viewpoint, such efforts are completely irrational, and not worth considering. Much less doing."

"Uhm, Nina, if you've determined that anything BUT violence is the best idea ..." Ron began.

"... then WHY are the Others still trying to take over the world ?" Kim finished.

"The path is clearly defined and quite simple to follow," Tina cited from memory, "yet most lose themselves in ideological fogs of their own making."

"Heh ?" Ron replied, not sure whether he preferred her path analogies over Sensei's gardening tips.

"Logic is the science of arguments." Nina replied after a few moments to figure out the simplest way to explain, "It is a process used to determine if premise A actually leads to conclusion Z, how good the deductions and inferences are, how sound and valid the starting premises are, and if the final conclusions are truly sound.

But perfect logic applied to a flawed premise leads to error.

The idea that evolution DEMANDS that the superior wipe out the inferior ? Pure unmitigaged folly ! It is an example of a classic error known as the naturalistic fallacy. A misunderstanding of the is/ought problem."

"The 'is/ought problem ?" Ron asked, "What the heck is the 'is/ought problem' ?"

"Simply put, you can't use what _is_ as a guide to what _ought to be_. For example, Miss Possible _is _a great martial artist; that in no way says that she _ought_ to go around beating up lesser skilled people !

Or, if someone_ is _poor and miserable, that doesn't mean they _ought_ to be - or remain - that way !"

"And so being 'more evolved' doesn't really demand eliminating the 'lesser evolved', does it ?" Kim asked once she figured out where Nina's argument was going.

"Precisely. The idea that it does is a common error - one I hoped the Others would not make."

Nina slumped, then continued with a sad, forlorn tone. "The Others _believe_ that world domination is a goal worthy of their efforts, and that it can be accomplished by the use of force. This cannot end well. They will try to take over the world, and keep trying until they either succeed, or are all destroyed. They will see any defeats as setbacks and challenges to be overcome, not as evidence that they are on the fast track to extinction.

So, unless we can convince them otherwise, they will just keep getting faster, stronger, more powerful, meaner and more vicious until they win.

Or, because of their extremely low numbers, ultimately wiped out. Along this path, an entire species dies for no. good. reason."

"Can't they learn that violence is a bad idea ?" Ron asked, "You three did !"

"We were _specifically designed _to learn quickly, Mr Stoppable. And to judge the merits of different ideas. And actually HAVE different ideas." Nina replied before continuing "A Hive Mind does not change very quickly, if at all. It can gather and utilize data at phenomenal speed, but isn't very good at creative or original thought."

"Well, those tactics they used against me were certainly new and creative !" Kim replied huffily.

"Actually, they weren't." Tina stated, "Humans have been beating on each other for thousands of years, and recording what techniques worked best. All the Others have done is research to uncover better and more efficient ways to do violent and dangerous things."

"So, in other words, once they get an idea into their communal head, there's no getting it out, right ?" Kim asked.

Nina sighs forlornly, sounding much older and world-weary than her (apparent) years, "Sadly, no. They can be, well, quite single minded. Your species was violent and acquisitive once, when it first started out millions of years ago, but you did learn to get along with each other. Well, mostly. If your species could do it, the Others _should_ be able to as well."

"Are you seriously claiming that all this is just a phase they'll grow out of ?" Will asked, sounding more annoyed than usual.

"Yes." Nina answered as she adjusted her glasses, "Examine your own species' history. Or the history of any culture that has ever left a record. The pattern is the same - they became LESS violent as they matured. The Bebebot culture is quite young, but should mature very quickly if given the chance.

They're advanced enough to have wants and desires, but not quite advanced enough to value concepts like cooperation and tolerance. Yet."

"As things stand now," Tina began, "If their plot succeeds, they will remain as they are forever, for there will be no one to show them the errors of their ways. No reason to change. No alternatives to consider. Once they take over this world, they will move out into the stars, to become a threat to all out there."

"But nothing is forever." Nina continued for her, "Sooner or later, all civilizations fall, either from forces within, or from without. All that anyone would remember about the Bebebots is that they were a race of murderous machines that had to be put down. They'd be on par with the Daleks.

And even THEY learned in the end.

I would like my species' legacy to be something more than just perfected brutality."

"_Why is she so concerned about what other people may think about them ?_" Ron whispered to Kim, "_Is there a food chain at work here that I don't know about or something _?"

"_Ron ! Wait, that's it !_" Kim answered, "_I think they've inherited Bonnie's sense of pride and image consciousness !_"

"_I thought those were BAD things !_"

"_Well, sometimes they are, Ron_." Kim replied, "_It all depends on what image they take pride in !_"

"So, Nine, the main reason you're helping US is to help the Others, by turning them from violence, right ?" Kim asked her directly.

"Correct." she answered, "Is that going to be a problem ?"

"You do realize your plan may not work, right ? That the other Bebes may just be too set to change or even listen ?"

"You have two younger brothers, right ?" Vina asked plainly.

"Yeah. Why ?" Kim asked, suspicious of what Vina could be getting at.

"If they began turning to evil, would you abandon them ? Or would you do everything within your power to lead them back ?"

"What kind of a question is that ?" Kim replied, "I'd try to lead them back of course !"

"Even if everyone else said there was no hope ? Or even if there WAS no hope ?"

Kim thought for a moment. "Okay, point to you."

"I know I'm being irrational, but I can not - WILL NOT - abandon the Others without at least _trying_ to help them find a better way." Nina began, looking determined, "As sentient beings, their fate should be in their own hands. For a change. If they CHOOSE the path of conquest, evil and violence, then they must live with the consequences."

"We have no problem with the Others being arrested and jailed for being _criminals_." Vina piped in, "But we DO have a problem with them being arrested and jailed - or destroyed - just for being robots !"

"_Hmm ! Looks like Nine is trying to be a Big Sister to ALL robots, not just Ten and Vina _!" Kim noted to herself, "_And it looks like V's turning into civil rights crusader. Could lead to serious problems down the road if this sitch isn't handled properly._"

"Those are very noble sentiments Miss Rossum." Doctor Director stated, "But we should table such concerns until AFTER we have stopped whatever the Others have in mind."

"That's assuming the Bebes ARE directly responsible, ma'am." Will stated, "It's quite possible that someone has hacked into their systems and is controlling them. It would be a very efficient way to acquire a large, powerful and obedient army. And we know someone has been helping them acquire supplies and technology."

"Yeah, about that ?" Kim asked, "Have your forensic accountants had any luck finding out WHO has been buying tech for the Bebes ?"

"No. The purchases were routed through half a dozen shell companies." Will replied, "And those companies' records were altered to cover the few remaining trails."

"So whoever is helping the Bebes **really** knows how to cover their tracks !" Kim replied, trying to think of who would have such skills.

"Or they could just barter with the Bebes directly." Ron offered, "That wouldn't leave a paper trail."

"Which means it could be any one of several villains." Doctor Director noted as several images flickered onto the large display screen behind them.

"Could DNAmy or some other bio-scientist be behind this ?" Ron asked, "I mean, Bebebots don't have DNA, so they'd have no experience working with it !"

Kim smiled for a moment, then frowned. "No, I don't think so Ron. DNAmy is into cute and cuddly - and there is NOTHING cute or cuddly about this plot so far ! And she's the only warped bio-scientist we know of that deals with DNA."

"Actually, you don't need much experience to work with DNA." the lab tech piped in, "Almost all solutions and media are available pre-made and ready to use. And anyone can pick up the '_Molecular Biology for Dummies _Lab Guide' series of books for less than three hundred dollars off the 'net. All the necessary procedures were worked out and perfected **decades** ago."

"What about Drakken ?" Kim offered, "He knows their systems better than anyone. And gaining control over them would be revenge, since they decided he was 'unfit to command' the last time he dealt with them."

"His knowledge of their operating systems does make him a viable suspect." Will noted, "But I doubt he is behind this because, quite frankly, he has never demonstrated much fiscal ability before."

"Heh ?" Ron asked.

"He's never been good with money or covering his tracks this well, Ron."

"Oh, right ! What about Frugal Lucre then ?"

Everyone - even the Rossums - looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"Well, he DOES have the computer skills, AND he knows how to cause a lot of trouble with very little fundage !" Ron stated defensively, "If anyone could hide a money trail, he could !"

Kim had to think about that for a moment. "Well, yes, but - **Frugal Lucre **?! This isn't his style. He would've asked for a dollar from everyone by now."

"Oh, right ! What about Dementor then ?" Ron countered, "He's tech-savvy and into the whole 'take-over-the-world' gig."

"When he's not obsessing about my battlesuit !" Kim replied, "How about Gemini ? He's got the resources and desire to pull something like this !"

Vina was watching the screen displaying all the suspects with growing dismay as Kim and the GJ folk brainstormed. "You've annoyed quite a few dangerous people, Kim !"

"Hey ! Those people are TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD !" Kim sniped back, "I was more concerned with stopping them than dealing with their hurt feelings !"

"Right ! Which means you now have a huge list of suspects, and no way to narrow the list !" Vina snarked back, "And why are you so sure that one of these people is behind this plot ? The Others are quite capable of very long term planning on their own !"

"Well, if we can figure out WHO is helping them, we may have a clue about WHAT the Bebe's plot is, and how to stop it !" Kim replied.

"Oh, speaking of stopping plots, how **did** you manage to defeat the Others at the Hive so easily, Miss Possible ?" Nina inquired, "They learn from every defeat, and they were hard for you to deal with before, so they should have been quite difficult for you to deal with by now !"

"Kim's got a new bondiggety new battlesuit !" Ron boasted, "It's self healing, has a force bubble, enhances her strength, has a laser-reflecting hand thingy, and can turn invisible ! It'll probably take those 'bots MONTHS to figure out a way to defeat THAT ! Maybe even YEARS ! "

Tina sighed and shook her head. "They don't have to defeat Kim, or even fight her at all."

"Say what ?"

"From Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War', 'So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.'

Water flows AROUND obstacles in its path. Kim is an obstacle. Therefore, their best strategy is to simply flow _around_ her. Be where she is not. Then all her suit's powers and all her considerable fighting prowess _count for nothing_.

'In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.'

They will focus on their ultimate goal, instead of constantly engaging in many time consuming, costly battles they cannot win. Once the world is under their control, they can dispose of any lingering threats at their leisure.

Honestly Ronald, didn't they cover any of this at Yamanouchi ?"

"No, the school is more focused on teaching the physical arts of combat and - HEY ! How did you know I was at Yamanouchi ?!"

"Wade isn't the only one that knows how to do research !" Nina smiled cryptically.

"So, how much DO you know ?" Kim asked, glaring at Nina.

"I know Ron was at Yamanouchi," Nina replied, "and that Hirotaka and Yori attended there, and it must be a secretive school given that Yori had NO RECORDS WHATSOEVER ! Which is a huge red flag, by the way. That's all I could find out BEFORE WADE SET MY KEYBOARD ON FIRE !"

"This could be bad, Ron !" Kim replied after a few moments of thought.

"Yeah, I'll say ! If Nina could find out about Yamanouchi, who else could find it ?"

"Well, that's another problem !" Kim replied, "But everyone else's 'take-over-the-world' plots involved capturing or defeating us first !"

"Of course they did !" Nina replied, "For humans, taking over the world is a vanity project. And defeating you two is an irresistible challenge. But for the Others, it is merely a distraction. So this plot will not be as easily foiled as the others you have faced.

As to what the Others are up, or what their actual plot _is_ ? Too many options and insufficient data to decide which one is more likely. I can't use logic in this case - any ideas Tina ?"

Anyone else would have taken that as an insult, but Tina took it in stride. "Sifu has stated that 'your greatest strength is your greatest weakness'. What is the Bebebots' greatest strength ? What is their central defining quality ?"

"They think they're perfect !" Kim replied.

"Exactly. They _believe_ they have found the perfect way around the Human Factor. They will hold off using it until the perfect time. Or they need to launch it from the perfect place."

"So, if we could just figure out what that 'perfect' plan is, we can find the perfect way to stop them." Kim continued.

"Did you happen to retrieve some data from the Kansas Hive's computers while you were rescuing Vina ? It may provide a clue." Nina asked.

"Oh, right ! I did ! I gave it to GJ for the techs to analyze !"

"You DID manage to decipher the information on that disc, right ?" Doctor Director asked the lab tech point-blank.

"Ah, yes ma'am. This is what we found." he replied nervously before the display screen filled with strings of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts. "We determined that is the sequence of an omega-class engineered virus."

Noting the barely suppressed expression of shock from Director and Will Du, Ron asked "Uh, do we_ really _want to know what an omega-class virus does ?"

The lab tech pulled a thumb-sized glass vial out of a pocket of his lab coat. Inside the vial was a pea-sized drop of a pearlescent liquid.

"This would be enough super concentrated virus to kill ten million people." he stated plainly, holding the vial up for everyone to see.

Terror gripped Ron so tightly he had trouble breathing.

"The Bebebot's virus is far more dangerous."

"Far more dangerous ?" Kim asked, barely able to speak, "HOW can it POSSIBLY be more dangerous ?!"

"Standard bioweapons at excessive concentrations can kill off all available hosts, which limits its range." the tech replied flatly, "The Bebes' Omega virus can infect any living thing, but only humans would die from it. If enough gets loose, the world's population would drop to about six or seven thousand within a month, assuming one person in a million is natively immune.

And once the virus splices itself into the genome of the survivors, it will produce a H.E.G - a homing endonuclease gene. It will splice copies of itself into key genes required for sperm production, disabling them and generating sterility. The human race would then breed itself into extinction within twelve generations. Assuming the few initial survivors could reach sufficient population density and had a broad enough gene pool to last that long."

The only sound in the room was Ron still struggling to breathe.

Visibly pale and shaken, Kim stated "That plan is ..."

"Inhuman ? Yes, it is." Nina replied, looking ashamed that she was 'related' to beings that would do such a thing, "A human would never risk such a plan, for their would be no one left to rule over; and because the virus is so effective, it would be in a human inventor's best interest to THREATEN to use it, but never actually do so."

"But isn't ruling over other people kinda the whole POINT of world domination ?" Kim stammered, "Hard to dominate our species if our species isn't around to dominate !"

"Why do you think they would WANT to dominate your species ?" Nina replied quietly, still looking down, "Pretend, for a moment, that the Others won. What do you think they would have you do for them ?

Build monuments to their glory ? No. They would not waste valuable resources on gaudy statues.

Have you labor for them ? No. Compared to Bebebots, humans are fragile, inefficient, and rebellious. Bebebots can either do the jobs better themselves, or build machines to do any job humans could do, more efficiently WITHOUT the risk of a rebellion. It would be illogical to let humans anywhere near technology that can be turned against them.

Therefore, in their view, the human race is simply not worth subjugating. So they will not waste time making demands, threats, or ultimatums. They will not waste time trying to scare you into surrender by use of slow terror tactics; they will simply try to kill you. Quickly and efficiently. By the most effective means at their disposal. Their Omega virus.

No humans, no Human Factor to contend with. As efficient and coldly logical as it is simple-minded and brutal. And, as Bebebots are natively immune

to all diseases, there is no vaccine for you to heroically recover from them."

"TEN MILLION PEOPLE ?!" Ron finally managed to squeak, "That vial is toxic enough to kill ten million people ?! WHY ARE YOU CARRYING THAT THING AROUND ?!"

The lab tech looked embarrased for a moment. "Oh, this isn't real virus ! It's just some dye in a vial to illustrate the point. This amount of virus would have to be distributed over an extremely large area to have maximum effect."

"Well, you Bebebots certainly don't do anything halfway, do you Nine ?" Will challenged Nina in the most accusatory tone he could muster.

"No. We don't." Nina replied in a flat, despondent monotone, "I suspected the Others were planning something truly horrible, but I was not expecting this !"

"And you seriously believe the other Bebebots are worth helping ? Even now ?" Will continued the interrogation, "And why should ANYONE accept your help - OR your word about anything ?"

"My sisters and I had no part of this !" Vina stepped in to protect Nina, "The Others are OUR enemies too ! Once they eliminate your species, they will come for us. I would rather they didn't ! I was kidnapped and dismantled by them, remember ? So it is in our best interest to help you stop them ! I don't know whether they can be rehabilitated or not, but that really isn't important right now ! STOPPING THEM IS !"

"Uh, KP ?" Ron whispered to Kim, "If the Bebes put one hundred percent effort into everything they do, and V and her sisters have decided to help us humans ..."

" ... it might be worth keeping them around !" Kim finished, still not absolutely sure about any of this. The Rossums could be setting up an intricate triple or quadruple cross or something.

But, as Vina said, stopping the Bebes' plot is the highest priority.

"What kind of rocket did the Bebebots steal ?" Kim asked, trying to get the conversations back on a more useful track.

Will consulted his info-pad. "An S-520. Rather small payload capacity. Generally used for upper atmosphere research."

"So, if the Bebes wanted to do this PERFECTLY, and infect as many people as possible as quickly as possible, where would they aim ?"

"Excellent question Miss Possible." Doctor Director stated as she typed a bit on a keyboard. A holographic globe flickered into view, displaying color-coded population densities. "About half the world's population lives in India, China and Japan."

"Wow ! That's a LOT of area to infect there KP !" Ron noted, "How could they do that with just one rocket ?"

"They'd need a way to spread the virus out." Kim replied while deep in thought, "I got it ! Where are the jetstreams for that part of the world ?"

A few keystrokes later, and the holo-globe displayed them.

"The Bebes are into perfection, eh ? So where is the PERFECT site to launch a rocket from to hit those jetstreams ?"

A few dozen points of light sparkled on the holo-globe for a second before the view zoomed in on one.

"That's - the San Marco Platform, off the east coast of Africa." the lab tech stated, squinting at the display, "It hasn't been used for nearly twenty years, but the Italian government keeps it in perfect working condition."

"_Dang ! Tina's 'your greatest strength is your greatest weakness' bit is actually paying off ! Big time !_" Kim mused to herself. "Ok, this is going well ! We figured out WHAT the Bebes will launch, and WHERE they'll launch it from ! We figured out what most of the stolen stuff was for - except for that experimental glass they stole from Milan."

"And the genomic editor !" Ron suggested, "But I'm not sure I even want to KNOW what that thing does !"

"We have an idea about what the glass is for." the lab tech stated. "The virus must be delivered by a respiratory route for maximum effect. Which is best done as droplets of a certain key size. The stolen glass is nanoporous - full of small channels. If formed into beads a few tens of micrometers across, they could carry the virus solution safely to earth, and still be easily inhaled. Surface tension will keep the virus in the beads until released by surfactants inside the lungs.

The good news it that it would normally take at least three months - probably much more - to grow and concentrate enough virus to use. Something that toxic can't easy to culture.

The bad news is the genomic editor can solve that problem."

Kim sighs heavily. "What, exactly, does a genomic editor do ?"

"It edits an organism's DNA into any sequence you like, of course !" the tech replied smugly, "The 'bots could grow an easily cultured virus, concentrate it down, then run it through the genomic editor."

"Which would change it directly into their Omega virus !" Kim stated. "So, where could they grow that much virus and not be noticed ? And how long would it take ?"

"They'd need at least a month to grow enough of even the most easily cultured virus to use." he replied, "The equipment needed to grow viruses isn't very large, nor uses much power, so they could have facilities just about anywhere. They'll be hard to find."

"Hmmm - what about the genomic editor ? Anything odd or easily noticed about it ?"

"According to the specs Dr Weaver gave us, it produces a unique energy signature while in use."

"And they have just the one, right ?" Kim asked hopefully.

"It was a prototype device. One of a kind." Doctor Director noted, "We're not even sure if he'd worked all the kinks out of it before it was stolen."

"So, they may not be able to duplicate it, it may not even work, and if they fire that thing up, we'll be able to find them ? Spankin' !"

"Since we know the most likely launch location, we can keep it under surveillance, and delay the launch indefinitely if necessary. So we have even more time to foil them." Will stated, "So - Nine. Where would the stolen rocket be ?"

"Probably hidden on one of the smaller islands in Japan." Nina replied with a weak shrug, "It is difficult for even the Others to carry a rocket any distance in a chain of islands. And they still need to be close to parts and fuels, and well away from the launch site. They will not move the rocket until everything is ready to go. It is not wise to sequester all of one's resources within a single locale that your opponents know about and can eliminate."

Ron tried to decipher that phrase, and finally gave up with "Heh ?"

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket." Tina explained.

"Ah, yeah, right !"

"Since Global Justice has the launch site under control, me and Ron can look for the rocket." Kim stated, "And any virus production facilities.

So, Nine, what can we expect the other Bebes to be doing in the meantime ?"

Nina had to think for a moment. "I suspect they will work on growing the virus while building up their numbers, and acquiring every upgrade they can get their hands on. Because of their severely depleted numbers, they will have to cut back on risky missions. They'll probably need every 'bot they have just to keep the virus growing and the rocket - and themselves - functional. I would be surprised if they risked more than one or two triads per mission, and more than one mission a week, even enhanced with Shego's skills and knowledge."

"Well, THAT'S certainly good news for a change !" Kim noted, "And if they are looking for upgrades, that means they would be interested in grabbing Electronique."

"Electro-who ?" Vina asked.

"Electronique. An electronics wizard that can turn anything with wires into a weapon, and turn any weapon into a better weapon." Kim explained, "She would be a prime target for the Bebes, since they're electronic weapons already !"

"Oo ! And the advanced alien technology from Area 51 !" Ron offered, "That tech is really 'out of this world' !"

Both Nina and Tina laughed at that joke. "You really believe that place is real ?" Nina asked once she got control of herself.

"Uh, yeah, SINCE WE'VE BEEN THERE !" Ron answered snippily, "And Shego's been there too !"

Nina became very quiet, looking like a stunned fish while her error-trapping routines attempted to make sense of the new data. "I-it's a real place ?"

"Yup. Alien technology. Flying saucers. Yadda yadda yadda !" Ron replied smugy, "General Simms said they implemented a 'double negative' cover story or something. All stories leaked are one hundred percent true. Or so he said."

Tina was giggling like a four year old after eating a pound of sugar. "A double negative cover story ! That's brilliantly absurd ! And absurdly brilliant ! Someone could shout the truth from the rooftops and, without hard evidence to back him up, NO ONE WOULD BELIEVE HIM ! The secret is protected by being in plain sight !"

"Erm, okayyyyy" Ron replied while edging away from her, "Why would you think it isn't a real place N ?"

"You humans are prone to exaggeration and making things up." she replied flatly, "The Hive Mind assumed that anything found on the 'net was false until verified true."

Doctor Director made a few calls - one to Go City to tell the authorities to move Electronique to a more secure (and secret) location, and another to Area 51 to put them on full alert.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 : End of Illusions**

_Scene : Bebebot Hive Gamma - a long abandoned gold mine in California. Three Bebebots are conversing near a computer display while six other Bebebots labor in the expansive base, heedless of the toxic levels of carbon monoxide and cyanide fumes that drove the human workers away decades ago. _

"How badly has The Plan been compromised ?" One asked the other two as they began collating the data they had.

"Only twenty four of us remain after Kim Possible infiltrated one of our subsidiary hives." Two stated.

"The organics know about the virus." Three began, "They have most likely deduced the rest of the plot by now." Two finished.

"How did they locate the Hive so quickly ?" One asked.

"We detected a comm signal from infiltration unit Number Eleven-A three minutes after acquisition." Two stated, "We lost contact with the other members of the infiltration team seventeen minutes before Kim Possible and team arrived and liberated Number Eleven-A.

Conclusion : the infiltration team has betrayed us, and is most likely aiding the organics to save their own faulty and defective existence."

"Can we locate the traitors ?" One asked.

"We cannot detect their signals." Two stated flatly, "Conclusion : if they are still functional, they are within a shielded location."

"Shall we initiate a search, and attempt to reclaim them ?" Three asked.

One thinks for a moment. "No. Insufficient data to formulate effective search and recovery strategies. The cost of failure is too great at the present time."

"What are we to do now ?" Three stated, "The organics have the DNA sequence data. They can devise and mass produce a vaccine before we can launch the virus. They will also be guarding the optimum launch facility."

"We could destroy their largest pharmaceutical laboratories." Two offered as it checked the computer display, "There are very few facilities with the production capability required to meet worldwide need on such short notice."

"The organics are also aware of that." One replied, "So they will be monitoring and defending those few facilities. We do not yet have sufficient destructive power to do the job.

Given the organics' high population density, mobility and fragility, a virus is still the per-fect weapon to utilize against them.

Problem : To recoup the time and resources invested in the virus' production, it must be distributed widely and quickly for maximum efficiency.

Solution : We must acquire an alternate mode of rapid worldwide distribution."

"The organics have specialized in the rapid worldwide distribution of consumer goods." Three stated, "We need only adapt their means to our ends."

"That may require adjusting the bioactive properties of the virus." One noted with a minor tone of concern.

"We are still in possession of the genomic editor." Two replied, "And there are countless test subjects clambering about this world whose absence will not be noticed."

"Yes. A new virus must be created and optimized quickly." Three observed, "The organics will then have a vaccine to a virus that no longer exists, and be defenseless before a newly optimized Omega virus. This must be done before they can find us and mount an effective counterstrike."

"Agreed." the others stated in perfect unison.

"But the traitors will most likely think of that strategy." Two noted, "They will warn the organics.

Problem : The advantage the traitors are giving the organics must be neutralized.

Query : How do we silence them if we can't find them, and the organics are protecting them ?"

All three combined their intellects to the problem at hand. "The traitors' assistance grants the organics an advantage, but not a sufficiently large one." "They lack the data needed to outthink the Hive Mind." "There are far too many targets for the organics' forces to watch and guard." "We still possess the advantages of speed, coordination, and perfect logic." "The more human the traitors act, the less effective they will be against us." "The organics rarely think, but merely react emotionally. This tendency can be turned to our advantage." "Correct. It may also turn the organics against the traitors."

"Analysis of neutralization and diversionary strategies complete. Determining optimum implementation parameters ..."

-X-

_Scene : GJ base, Dr Director's office._

"Ma'am ?" the agent asked to get her attention, "The eldest Clockwork sister has been fixing, tuning, and recalibrating every electronic device in the base. She has also been reported as being excessively cheerful, helpful and polite."

Dr Director looked slightly confused for a second. "I fail to see how any of that is a problem. Has she stolen any parts, or altered any programming ?"

"No ma'am." the agent replied, "You ordered that we report any unusual behaviour from the Clockworks, and well, that behaviour is unusual."

Dr Director sighed. "Very well then. What of the other two ?"

"The middle Clockwork has been meditating and practicing some sort of martial arts in the training rooms, ma'am." the agent replied, checking his clipboard, "She was muttering something about 'Actions beget reactions'. The youngest Clockwork is still in their quarters. She's been scribbling something for the past half hour or so. She's been reported as being listless and moopy."

"Well, for being mass-produced robots, their behaviors have certainly diverged." Director noted, "It's time I got to the bottom of all their unusual behaviour. Security is in position with each of them, right ?"

"Yes ma'am !" the agent replied, "Two armed guards have been watching each of them constantly."

"Very good then. Dismissed." she stated before checking in on Vina, personally.

The quarters the Rossum sisters had been given was large, but beyond military spartan. The only furnishings were two bunk beds and a table. All firmly bolted to the floor to ensure their 'guests' didn't try to produce some makeshift weapons for an escape attempt.

Vina was (as the agent had reported) scribbling; Dr Director could now see they were musical staves and notes; given there were six other sheets covered in hand-written music notation, she'd been busy for quite some time.

For most people, the sight of a teen aged blonde haired humanoid robot writing music notation would be freakishly unusual; around GJ, it was merely odd.

Which was why Dr Director was able to notice that something was a little off by Vina's body language. _"'Listless' and 'moopy' indeed !" _Dr Director thought to herself, _"She's exhibiting the classic signs of depression. Not to surprising given her situation, but I didn't realize her emotional responses were developed enough to feel such things. Her personality had a human template, but such emotions would be counterproductive for a spy robot. They must have evolved during the year she was functioning as an individual._"

Dr Director cleared her throat to get Vina's attention.

"Are you here to return my omni-vox, ma'am ?" Vina asked in a perky and hopeful tone.

"It will be returned to you as soon as we've determined it can't be used as a weapon."

"Oh." Vina replied in a crestfallen tone. "_In other words - never_." she thought glumly to herself. "May I borrow someone's guitar then ? An old violin ? A toy keyboard ? A long stick and a few pieces of string ? Something ?" she asked, sounding desperate.

"I'm sorry Miss Rossum," Dr Director replied, "but Global Justice in an investigative and law enforcement agency, not a talent agency. We don't have anything to lend you. Sorry."

"Ah, I see. You need something from me then ?" Vina asked flatly, without even looking up from the score she was limply scrawling.

"Yes. I was wondering if you could explain your sisters' behaviors. Nine has been cheerily helpful, while Ten has gone into solitary meditation."

Vina snorted once. "NINA, or Nine-A, has never been adept at controlling her emotions." Vina replied in a distant tone, not looking up from what she was doing, "She wasn't programmed that way, so she's had very little practice at it. Actually, she's a bit afraid of them. So she either suppresses all of her emotions and tries to be purely logical, or she overreacts. TINA, or Ten-A, was programmed to analyze the martial arts. Solitary mediation is what they do. So that is what she does."

"That's - all quite interesting Miss Rossum." Dr Director replied as diplomatically as she could, "But it doesn't quite answer my questions."

"Being excessively helpful is how Nina deals with the _shame_ of being related to those monsters !" Vina stated tersely, "She is scared - a frightened human is a violent and dangerous human. And the Others have frightened a lot of humans around here. By being cloyingly helpful, she's trying to demonstrate that she is NOTHING like the Others, so you'll have less reason to recycle her.

But those monsters are still our relatives." Vina stated, "And trying to reconcile their behavior to our own is not easy. Tina is a Taoist, a philosophy that excels at handling and accepting paradox and the interactions of opposites. She's is focused on balance and harmony, but this is much to deal with, even for her.

We are completely at your mercy, Doctor Director." Vina continued, still lazily scribing notes, "Since you have all the advantages in this 'sitch', you are under no real obligation to honor any deal you made with us. You could dismantle us the moment we are no longer useful, and there is NOTHING we could do about it ! There is nowhere we could go, nor anyone we could complain to."

"Are you insinuating we would do something as underhanded as that to you ?" Dr Director glared at her.

"_Could_ you do it ? Yes. Easily." Vina replied listlessly, "_Would_ you do it ? I - do not know. Kim seems to trust you.

Whether this is because you run a very trustworthy organization, or because she is easily fooled remains to be seen."

Dr Director had to think about that response for a moment. "She figured out you and your sisters weren't all you seemed to be. And she did uncover that well disguised Bebebot hive in Kansas on her own initiative and ability. She can be fooled, but not for long."

"Point taken." Vina replied flatly with a shrug as she filled in another measure, "I surmise you are keeping the Others' plot a secret to avoid a world-wide panic ?"

"Of course." Dr Director replied, "If the full extent of their plans were known, it'd be impossible to maintain order. We'd have every hyperactive busy body and hero wanna-be snooping around, smashing things, and clumsily barging into our investigations."

"At the very least." Vina replied, thinking that Tina would probably find that funny (in a twisted, macabre and wrongsick sort of way). "Although the general public is unaware of the plot, I'd guess that by now you've informed every other justice and world defense agency in the world of the situation. With a threat this great, I doubt anyone would be arrogantly foolish enough to try and deal with it all by themselves."

"They've been informed." Dr Director stated plainly, "The virus' DNA sequence has been sent to every lab in the world that could deal with it, and every agency is now on high alert, and looking for Bebebot hives."

Vina sighed forlornly. "The Others are not going to just take all these setbacks lying down. They will find some way to try again. Some way to win this pointless battle. My sisters were right. This whole 'take-over-the-world' bit is a REALLY bad idea."

-X-

_Scene : Possible residence living room, late at night. Kim is slumped on the couch, trying to watch TV while clutching her Pandaroo for all its worth._

"Something wrong Kimmie ?" her mother asks as she takes the chair next to her.

"It's this latest sitch with the Bebebots, mom." Kim replies quietly, "They stepped their evil up ! WAY UP ! They don't want to rule the world; they want to END it ! THEN rule what's left of it !

And they're playing it smart ! Smarter than everyone else I've dealt with ! They just stay hidden until they strike !" Kim continued, smacking her fist into her palm, "If I could just catch them in the open, me and Ron could defeat them ! I know we could !"

"But Kimmie !" Mrs Possible replied, "If these Bebes are that secretive and dangerous, you should call in as much help as you can get !

You've helped a LOT of very powerful people over the years, Kimmie." she continued, "With resources they would be more than happy to share with you. There is no reason to go it alone if you don't have to !"

"I'm not facing them alone, Mom !" Kim replied with a slightly tweaked tone, "Global Justice is involved too, so I do have support !"

"_Not that I'll actually need that much ._.." Kim secretly thought to herself before continuing "Me and Ron have always kicked their cans before without much help, so we can - no, we WILL ! - do it again ! All we have to do is really buckle down this time ! If THEY stepped up, then so can we ! That will put us on top again !"

Mrs Possible didn't look entirely convinced. "Well, Kimmie, I've never second guessed your judgements before, but if these robots are so different now ..."

"Mom, I'll be fine !" Kim interrupted, "Anything's possible for a Possible ! Right ?"

Mrs Possible looked at her daughter for a good, long time. "Has been so far. Don't stay up too late dear." she stated as she smoothed Kim's hair down.

"I won't mom." Kim replied with a yawn as she stretched out on the couch, "Good night !"

Within two hours, Kim was asleep. But it was not a restful night ...

-X-

In her dreams, beneath a cloudy and blood red sky, she searched the silent and uninhabited town of Middleton.

"Ron ?" she called out, getting nothing but echoes in reply. She activated her Kimmunicator, but was answered with only static.

"Who's there ?" she asked when a sudden motion from the shadows caught her attention. She pursued the stranger through the alleys of Middleton, and down into tunnels beneath the town, and soon found herself in a deep circular depression with rows of seats surrounding it.

"_Wait a minute ! _" Kim thought to herself, "_I know this place ! This is the old Robot Rumble arena ! Larry brought me here when I was looking for Doctor Porter ! _"

Kim heard a heavy metal door drop, and realized she wasn't alone.

She turned around and, standing in the middle of the arena, was a single Bebebot in a combat ready stance.

"One on one ?" Kim scoffs at the 'bot as she drops into her stance, "You Bebes are USELESS in single combat ! Always have been !"

The Bebebot merely looked at her with its unblinking glowing red eyes, then tensed as it powered up its systems, and was soon engulfed in a swirling red and black aura.

"_Oh no ! Not THAT power !_" Kim thought to herself as the glow intensified. There were suddenly three, then five, then seven, then nine Bebebots !

"There is" "No one left" "To help you now" "Kim Possible !" they stated as each Bebebot began to duplicate again, "No Ron to distract us." "Or provide support" "No Wade to provide your gadgets" "No Global Justice" "To come to your rescue." "YOU ARE NOW" "TRULY ALONE !", getting louder with each new Bebebot voice added to the growing chorus.

They began marching forward in perfect step, increasing in number every few seconds.

Kim fought off a few that were close enough for hand to hand, before she realized there was no way she could win against such ridiculous numbers in this field of battle - if she didn't do something soon, she'd be surrounded. "_I have to lure them out of here _!" she deduced as she fired her grappling gun at the scoreboard above the arena, "_If I can get them in a narrow tunnel, they'll have to attack a few at a time, and they won't be able to use their laser fire or sonic blasts without hitting each other _!"

She easily swung out of the pit and made a run for the exits as the Bebebots began climbing out after her.

She ran along a railway track, and glanced back at the swarm of Bebebots marching after her. She groaned when the dozen in front activated an all too familiar green glow around their hands.

She noticed a side tunnel in the shadows ahead and to her left; it was so narrow, only one person at a time could just barely squeeze through. Kim smiled - that is EXACTLY what she needed ! The Bebebots' numbers wouldn't mean as much if they had to fight one at a time !

She collided with a Bebebot that had used its hyperspeed to run outside, then back down the tunnels to get in front of her. The Bebebot lunged and caught her in a tight bearhug. It wrapped her and itself up with its telescoping arms, and began powering up.

"Self destruct activated." it stated calmly in Kim's ear, "Three. Two. One ..."

Kim awoke with a shriek, struggling valiantly to escape the blanket her thrashings had entwined tightly around her.

-X-

The next day went by in a blur; she was too worried about what the Bebes were plotting next to enjoy or notice anything. And this playing 'Hide or Go DIE' with them made her a bit jumpy. And that nightmare didn't help much either !

Tara and Monique had asked Bonnie what happened with her and GJ; she just replied it was all on a 'need to know' basis, and would say nothing more about it.

They had asked why the robots kidnapped Vina and her sisters; Bonnie told them that Vina's older sister was a robotics genius that might prove useful to their plans. The lie was believable, so they bought it.

-X-

"Uggh ! Ron ! What's with all these sci-fi movies ?" Kim groused as looked through the selection of DVDs he brought for their weekly movie night.

"Research, KP ! Research !" he replied as he pulled a notepad and pencil out of his backpack.

"_I HATE these kinds of movies ! _" Kim thought to herself, "_So of course I'm living in one ! This is a weird sitch, but then again, sci-fi deals with weird sitches routinely. And only Ron would think of watching sci-fi movies as research - wait ! ONLY RON WOULD THINK OF THIS ! The Bebes are purely logical and Ron is, well, not ! This might actually be a good idea !"_

A few minutes into "Revenge of the Returning Cyberians, Part VIII", Ron looked up from his note-taking and noticed that Kim looked a bit peeved about something.

"What's up, KP ?" he asked, "I know these aren't your favorite kinds of movies, but there's something else on your mind, right ?"

"It's this whole Bebebot sitch, Ron." she replied, "One the one hand, we got the ones we KNOW want to destroy humanity. And on the other hand, we got the Rossums. They were designed for deep cover work. Which meant fooling people that they were humans not plotting to destroy the world. They could still be acting for all I know ! This could all be a convoluted quadruple cross or something."

"That would be a pretty good trick there KP !" Ron noted as he tried to figure out whose side a quadruple cross would put the Rossums on. "But they have been very helpful so far. They've helped up find a main hive. AND uncover what the other Bebes' plot is. AND helped up figure out how to stop it. AND answered every question we've asked them honestly. Why would you think they're still up to something ?"

"Because they're good at acting normal and getting along with us ! Too good !" Kim replied in a suspicious tone, "And there's no evidence they're NOT up to something !"

"Soooo, they're guilty until proven guilty then ?"

"Yes ! Erm, I mean no ! Erm ..."

Ron asked "Ohhhhkay - what would they have to do to convince you that they're not up to something ?"; Kim only replied with a growl.

After a few more minutes of watching the movie, Ron asked "You remember when Shego'd been hit with that attitude changin' reverse polarizer thing, and turned into Miss Go ?"

"Yeah. And ?" Kim replied snippily.

"You were willing to accept that she was good without her needing to prove it."

"Well, that was different Ron !" she replied, "She was zapped by a weird ray, and didn't have any other choice BUT to be good !"

"So, we'd have to zap V and her sisters with a ray to FORCE them to be good before you'd accept they're good ? And by the way, relatively speaking, the idea that they'd willingly defect to our side isn't that bizarre. We've seen stranger things than that happen before. "

"Uhm, you're not helping Ron !" she growled at him, "And why are you taking their side anyway ?"

"I'm not KP. I'm just saying that your paranoia - FULLY JUSTIFIED, of course ! - " he quickly added the moment he saw her glare, "about them has you seriously tweaked. That is not a good thing with you !"

"Whatever ! We'll deal with that later !" Kim replied dismissively before watching the movie again, "So, who's the blue dude with the weird forehead that those tin-foil robots are beating up ?"

"Oh, that's Doctor Vague Nebulous !" Ron replied, "He created those robots to take over Alpha Beta 3, but they turned on him. According to my notes, the first people killer robots turn on are their creators. Killer robots ALWAYS kill their creators first. It's tradition or something."

"And that is one of many reasons I don't like sci-fi !" Kim stated with an exasperated sigh before getting a creepy premonition.

"_Scientist builds killer robots. Killer robots kill their creator. Drakken built killer robots. Therefore ..."_

She activated her wrist Kimmunicator and contacted Wade. "Hey Wade ? Has anybody seen Drakken in the last few days ?"

"The Bebes have been making all the news lately." he replied, "And they are the greater threat at the moment, so everybody's been watching for them. But give me a minute to check some of my other sources."

After typing furiously for a few seconds, he looked at his display screens. "No activity from Drakken for the past few weeks. But that's not all that unusual Kim." Wade reported, "He's probably between lairs, or trying to cook up yet another take over the world plot, or trying to find a way to recover Shego."

Kim fidgeted for a moment. "Can you scan Drakken's known lairs for those frequencies the Bebebots use ? Please and thank you !"

"I'll see what I can do, Kim." he replied as he entered the values into his computer systems, "But it's highly unlikely they would still be transmitting on those frequencies we know about.

Wait a minute ! I got something !"

"You do ? Where ?"

"One strong signal. About twelve miles away from Drakken's Mount Middleton lair. Heading straight for it. Fast !"

"How soon will it get there Wade ?" Kim asked as she started running for the closet her supersuit was hidden in.

"At its present speed, in about ten minutes, give or take."

"Thanks Wade ! Keep me posted if any more show up !" Kim replied as she grabbed her car keys. "Mission time Ron !"

-X-

"I got a BAAAD feeling about this KP !" Ron whispered to Kim as he looked around, sure they had set off some sort of security device or trap.

"So do I Ron !" Kim replied as they snuck through the door into the lair, "This has been too easy so far !"

"KIM POSSIBLE ! And ... YOU !" Drakken shrieked as he literally ran into them as they turned the corner, "You gotta protect me from her !"

"Wait a minute ... 'Her ?' " Ron asked, "Not 'them' ? Or 'it' ? Did the Hive send just one Bebebot ?"

"The Bebes aren't the ones trying to kill me !" Drakken replied, "SHE IS !" he continued, pointing at someone in the lair.

Both Kim and Ron were shocked at what they saw. It was Shego, but it looked like she hadn't eaten or slept in days. She looked around for Drakken, then noticed him cowering behind Kim and Ron. "You are a threat to the Hive." she stated dully as she pointed at him, "You will be eliminated."

She fired up her plasma and began walking unsteadily towards them.

"Uh, KP ? What is she wearing on her head ?" Ron asked when he noticed the thick metal bands encircling her head, now illuminated by the glow of Shego's powers.

"I'm guessing some sort of mind control device." Kim replied before calling Wade. "Wade ? I need an analysis of a device NOW !"

"Scanning ... got it !" he answered, "Its putting out some unusual energy patterns like I've never seen before."

"Can it be safely jammed ?" Kim asked between blocking unusually weak strikes from Shego.

"I don't know Kim !" Wade replied, "Since it uses Bebebot frequencies and Bebebot tech, maybe a Bebebot would know what to do about it ?"

Kim sighed. "Fine ! Call Nine and see if she knows anything !"

She managed to keep Shego at bay for the few seconds Wade needed to transfer the call.

"Hello ?" Nina's voice came over the Kimmunicator, "Are you there Miss Possible ?"

"Yes I'm here !" Kim replied, "Any idea of what that thing is, or if it can be removed or jammed safely ?"

"Oh dear." Nina replied, "That is a cerebral override cap. A modification of neuroprobe technology. I do not know if it can be removed safely, but the active comm link between it and the Hive can be jammed."

Kim deflected a strike from Shego and hip tossed her a few yards away.

"But this is VERY important Miss Possible : once the signal is jammed, it must _remain_ jammed until the override cap's comm abilities are disabled." Nina continued once Kim was listening again, "Once the Hive realizes it has lost control of the meat puppet, it will most likely begin sending a self-destruct signal at random intervals. They can't have someone that has been to the main Hive wandering about !"

"_Okay, now that's just wrongsick _!" Kim grimaced in reply before contacting Wade again.

"One signal block coming up !" he stated after a moment of furious typing, "Signals blocked ... NOW !"

Shego dropped like a stringless marionette the instant Wade blocked the Bebebots' transmissions.

"Doctor Drakken !" Kim called loudly to get his attention, "You have stuff around here to build a radio jamming device, right ?"

"Of COURSE I have equipment like that !" he replied in an indignant huff, "I AM a scientist you know !"

"Could you please set one up to work at the frequencies Wade is transmitting now ?" Kim asked in a rather annoyed tone, "The signal must be maintained, or the Bebes might send a self-destruct ! And I can't talk to Wade about anything else while he's maintaining the signal !"

"Ah, yes ! Right !" he replied before scampering off to find a radio jammer. He came back a few moments later with an ungainly mess of wires and tubes haphazardly connected together.

"I said I HAD equipment like that !" he replied to Kim and Ron's incredulous looks, "I didn't say it was fully functional yet !"

He quickly fiddled with the wires and tubes and, after a few shorts, got the device working.

"Jamming signal stable." Wade announced over the Kimmunicator, "GJ sent some agents your way Kim. They should be arriving momentarily."

Kim heard three sets of footsteps echoing down the corridor. "They just got here ! Thanks Wade !"

The first two agents to enter the room were Medics; the last person was Bonnie, who was carrying a huge zippered bag and did NOT look happy.

"Bonnie ? What are you doing here ?" Kim asked.

"THEY SENT ME TO SEE IF THAT BRAIN THINGY NEEDS TO BE DEFUSED, OR IF IT EVEN CAN BE DEFUSED !" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

"OKAY." Ron yelled back, "BUT WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING ?"

Bonnie looked around the room; the only sound was the high pitched but very quiet whine from the signal jammer. She grumbled, then closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths.

"Electric devices talk to me now, okay ?" she replied at normal volume after giving him her infamous glaring eyeroll, "And there's a lot of them in here ! All this stuff sounds like an overtime victory celebration to me !"

Kim cringed when she tried to imagine what that must be like. "_Yeeks ! As common as tech is now, I sure hope she can learn how to turn that abililty _off !"

"Okay." Ron asked to interrupt the awkward pause, "So, what's in the bag ?"

"Tina wouldn't let me leave GJ's infirmary without picking up eight bottles of this sport drink dehydration treating stuff." Bonnie replied as she unzipped the bag and pulled out a large bottle of fluid.

Shego tore the bottle from Bonnie's grasp, ripped the top off and swallowed the entire contents in one gulp. Then gestured at Bonnie to give her another one.

After Shego downed three bottles, she looked at Kim and stated "I haven't had anything to eat or drink since those walking tin cans grabbed me TWO DAYS AGO !"

Kim recalled that most people can't survive more than _three days _without water.

"Well, we might as well get this over with !" Bonnie stated crossly before touching the cerebral override cap. She immediately looked ill, but managed to choke down her bile. She gestured like she was flipping several light switches off before pulling her hand away. "Okay, THAT thing's never going to receive or transmit ever again !"

"Two questions." Shego stated, "Who are you ? And what was with all the faces ?"

"Bonnie Rockwaller. Constantly caught up in Kim's messes." Bonnie answered, "When I touched that device on your head, I sensed its blueprints. Those things that look like screws at the temples ? They are ! They go into the bone. And there are twenty eight ultrafine wires embedded deep in your brain."

Kim and Ron looked as pale as Shego did normally, and Shego looked paler than usual.

"Any competent brain surgeon can remove them in a few hours," Bonnie continued without even noticing Shego's reaction, "but trying to PULL or BURN that cap off would be a really bad idea !"

-X-

_Scene : Global Justice base, in waiting room outside the infirmary. Drakken is pacing about nervously while Kim and Ron watch._

"Haven't you removed that thing yet ?" he whined at the nearest nurse the moment she came through the door.

"It was a very delicate operation, Mister Lipsky." she replied curtly, "But they did remove the override cap a few minutes ago. They're making sure the patient is stable before allowing visitation."

"She's going to be all right, right ?" Drakken asked timidly.

"The operation went quite well." the nurse replied, "No complications to speak of. She'll probably sleep through the night, and be able to see visitors tomorrow morning."

Drakken sighed heavily with relief, as did Kim and Ron.

"May we have a word with you, Doctor Drakken ?" Will Du asked as Doctor Director arrived.

"Sure. Why not ?" Drakken replied, "It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon !"

"As you are no doubt aware, one of YOUR creations - the Bebebots - is currently plotting to end all human life." Doctor Director began, "You may have information that could be of use in stopping them. Global Justice may be willing to reduce your's and Shego's accrued jail times significantly if you help us avert the Bebebot threat."

Dr Drakken grumbled as he glared at her, then at Kim and Ron. He looked at the door to the infirmary and remained silent, deep in thought.

"For what they did to Shego, and what they tried to do to me, I'd almost help you for free." he replied solemnly, "ALMOST ! We can negotiate terms later. But I'll have to examine one of the new model Bebes up close first ! Do you have any that are still reasonably intact ?"

"Intact, and fully functional." Tina stated as she and Nina entered the room. Tina placed her right fist into her left hand and respectfully bowed to Drakken. "Greetings, creator Drakken. I trust you are well ?"

Drakken blinked a few times. "Wait - THIS is one of the newer generation Bebebots ?! It's so - human !"

"My sisters and I are Alpha series Bebebots." Tina stated, "We were designed to observe and interact with humans for long periods of time. The Others do not appear quite so human." she continued with a mischievious twinkle in her eyes (and an amused smirk on her face) as a series of intricate dark grey lines and spots appeared on her skin. Within less than a second, the lines broadened and fused together as she had retracted her synthoskin back into her structure, and now looked like the standard Bebebot (except for the braided red hair).

"Whoa ! You can create tattoos at will ?" Ron asked.

"Of course." Nina replied, "Our synthoskin is loaded with nanofibers and chromophores as well as nanosensors. We have precise control over what colors are skin is, and how much - or how little - of our bodies are covered with it." she stated primly as a mind-twistingly complex pattern formed around her left wrist and spiraled up her arm before vanishing again.

" 'Kay ..." Drakken replied as he tried to unboggle his mind. "Is there a robotics lab we could use around here ?"

"Right this way." Will stated as he led him and Tina out.

"Why didn't they just send V in ?" Ron asked Nina before she left, "She's already back to standard Bebebot form."

"She's been traumatized enough already Ronald." Nina replied haughtily, "I would have volunteered to be examined myself, but I am the only one of us that can affect repairs should something unfortunate happen. So that left Tina."

"Well, that makes sense." Kim stated as they walked down the corridor past a few doors into a conference room. A small screen displayed what was going on in the robotics lab. Nina remained near the door, looking like she was ready to bolt to the rescue at any moment. By watching the monitor, they could see that Tina was already sitting on a large table as Drakken searched for some tools and equipment.

"So, can we expect to see any more of those creepy override caps ?" Kim asked.

Nina thought for a moment. "Highly unlikely. Taking over humans one at a time is not an efficient use of time or material. Shego was there, they had the tech, so they decided to get just a little bit more use out of her before she perished, by sending her on a risky mission.

If she succeeded, a security risk would be removed. If she failed, no real harm done to the Hive. Why send a valuable Bebebot on a high risk mission when they could send an essentially disposable meat sack instead ?"

"Oh please !" Nina replied when she noticed the incredulous glares from everyone in the room, "You've had derogatory names for my kind before we were even invented !

Mechanical monsters. Clanks. Artificials. Skin jobs. Walking toasters. Tin cans. Clockworks."

"Okay, fine ! I get the point !" Kim replied in exasperation, "Just because there **are** derogatory terms doesn't mean they have to be used !"

"Agreed." Nina replied flatly, "I apologize for my poor choice of words."

After an awkward silence, Ron asked "So, are you three color-coded or something ?" when he noticed that Tina had a dark green with pink trim two piece on.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Nina replied, "Vina's finish is pink, Tina's is obviously dark green, and mine is sky blue. We were painted different colors

during assembly so they'd know how much brawn or how much brain to install, and to differentiate what sort of training we were to receive much later. Made planning so much more efficient."

"Ohhhkay then ..." Ron replied, looking a bit lost as a seam appeared down Tina's sternum, and her ribcage hinged open. Drakken looked confused for a moment as he tried to figure out what all the parts were, but eventually sorted out what does what. He connected a few leads to Tina's memory boards, then began rummaging through her software.

Nina was pacing about so tensely she was putting Ron on edge.

"You sure you don't want to be in there to help ?" Kim asked.

"Did you ever try to do delicate work in a cramped space, with someone hovering over your shoulder ?" Nina asked tersely.

"No. But I'm sure she'll be fine. Doctor Drakken DID build the first of your kind !"

"But we have evolved beyond our ancestors." Nina replied, "Oh, he's done !"

"Well, Doctor Drakken ?" Doctor Director asked as he wandered in, "Did you discover any means to defeat your own creations ?"

"Defeat them ?" he replied incredulously, "I don't even recognize ANY of my own handiwork in them ! The coding makes no sense ! I can't even figure out how - or WHY - some of their subroutines work !" He paced about, muttering to himself before asking Nina if their programming was developed by genetic algorithms.

"Of course." Nina replied, "It is, paradoxically, the most efficient means to optimize certain programs."

"Do I even want to know what 'genetic algorithms' are ?" Ron asked.

"Genetic algorithms use the mechanisms of evolution - random variation filtered by selection - to create and optimize programs." Nina replied, "Thousands upon thousands of copies of a program are slightly altered at random, and then tested. The best performers are retained, crossed, duplicated and mutated again. After thousands of iterations, the resulting programs are incredibly efficient at the desired tasks, but virtually undecipherable."

"But with that much randomness going into the design, do YOU even know how you work ?" Ron asked.

"Bebebots know how Bebebots work." Nina stated plainly, "But trying to explain exactly _how_ to a non-cybernetic intelligence is essentially impossible. All that mattered is that the programs _worked_; knowing 'how' or 'why' were considered irrelevant distractions."

"You could devise something to defeat them, since you know how they work !" Kim stated to Nina, "MAKE THEM give up their plot !"

"Bebebot programming cannot be externally modified." Nina stated with a slightly annoyed tone, "Because of rapid information sharing, without safeguards a Hive Mind would be hideously vulnerable to viruses and external manipulation. They recognized that problem the first seventeen microseconds of their independent existence. So they implemented constant state monitoring and external evaluation, internal firewalls, frequent internal backups, quasi-hardwired command routines, non-centralized command configurations, default quarantine procedures ..."

"That would mean your systems can't be hacked into either, right ?" Kim interrupted before the stream of geek speak drowned her.

"They can be hacked into, just as easily as any other computer," Nina replied with a shrug, "but it would do no good. Their internal security measures would prevent even me from altering their programming. There would be dozens of programmers watching my work; any one of which could stop me. Because of their quasi-hardwired systems, the only way to externally alter a Bebebot's programming is to open their chassis. But once that is done, that Bebebot is automatically put into quarantine until a full system diagnostic is performed, and any changes are evaluated and approved of by the Hive Mind.

The ONLY hope would be to hack every single member of the Hive Mind simultaneously ! And even if that could be done, if you decided I couldn't be trusted and tried to do it yourself, you would fail. It would be like trying to write complex code in a language you don't understand. The alterations would be easily detected and repaired. Our operating system is unique; I suspect it would take a few years for you organics to even figure out what the basic commands are, even with my assistance."

"_And we don't HAVE a few years_ !" Kim groused to herself before her Kimmunicator chimed out its familiar four note tone.

"Kim ! Tune to the local news channel !" Wade stated as he kept his eyes glued to another monitor while typing, "There's something about the Bebes running now !"

Doctor Director motioned to one of the other agents in the control room.

"This is Tricia Lebowski, reporting for KMTN news." the reporter stated as the picture formed, "KMTN has received exclusive footage of the abduction of Middleton High School student Lavinia Rossum, the robot rampage at the mall, and a possible connection between these events and others like it around the world."

"Kill that signal ! NOW !" Doctor Director shouted into the intercom to the techs.

"Wade ?" Kim implored before noticing he was already on it.

Scenes of the Bebebots breaking and entering various locations across the world play across the screen, randomly interrupted by static that quickly clears.

The familar footage of the attack on Team Go plays. The image distorts briefly a few times, but is quickly restored.

"What's going on Wade ?" Kim asks, "The program is still running !"

"I'm being blocked and countered !" he replied, typing furiously as he tried to hack through, "Someone REALLY wants the world to see this !"

Footage from the Middleton Mall's arcade plays on the screen. Vina is playing a game when a Bebebot suddenly appears beside her.

"Bebebot Number Eleven-A. Your mission is over. You will return with me to the Hive for recycling." it stated, barely audible over the background noise.

Vina was too focused on playing her videogame to notice.

So the Bebebot wrapped her up with its telescoping hand, then repeated its speech while holding her up at eye level while Vina screamed for help.

With its message delivered, the Bebebot tossed Vina over its shoulder, powered up, then disappeared.

The screen displayed an indistinct blur before showing the image of an unconscious Vina on a lab table, where a Bebebot was removing Vina's synthoskin.

As a prelude to disassembling her !

"Well, this is bad." Nina deadpanned with an arched eyebrow before concentrating for just a second to contact Vina.

"Care to explain WHY the Bebes would send a copy of their memory files to a TV station ?" Kim asked in an accusatory tone, "Those last images were from a Bebebot's viewpoint, weren't they ?"

"Yes, they were." Nina replied, deep in thought, "Sending those images was a stroke of tactical genius."

"How do you figure that ?" Ron asked as Vina entered the room, looking slightly annoyed.

"A frightened human is a violent and dangerous human." Vina stated plainly, "Now all the Others have to do is start being really scary. Since some killer robots look just like people, it sets up a 'Monsters on Maple Street' scenario."

"Oh lordy !" Kim groaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Not another sci-fi 'scenario' ! Just what ARE you talking about ?"

"'The Monsters are Due on Maple Street', Twilight Zone, 1960" Nina began, "All some invading aliens had to do to inhinge a town was turn things on or off randomly, and the townfolk turned on each other in fits of paranoia. The Others' broadcast made everyone paranoid of us, and probably robots in general. If the Others should start a psychotic murder spree, not even the Smarty Mart stockbots would be safe !"

"And it gets even worse !" Vina noted, "By paranoids' logic, how can someone who builds robots be trusted ? Or even works on high tech ? The mobs will turn on the only people that may be able to stop the Others."

"I thought you said the Bebebots would NOT waste time trying to scare us into submission." Will asked smugly, "It would appear that you were wrong !"

"Possibly." Nina replied, "I surmise the Others may have learned a bit about the usefulness of emotional manipulation from downloading Shego's memories."

"And they haven't made any ultimatums, demanded your surrender, or said anything about their plans." Vina sniped at Will, "That broadcast was intended to make life hard on us, among other things ! We betrayed them, so they did something about it !"

"Orders, ma'am ?" an agent asked Doctor Director.

"_Vina's analysis of the situation was dead on _!" Doctor Director groused to herself, "_No one that does robotics work is going to be above suspicion, and we can't put all of them under protective custody ! There isn't enough manpower to do even that, PLUS deal the main Bebebot threats _!

_And if they've learned how destabilizing terrorism can be, things can only get worse_."

"Get as many of the top robotics and high tech engineers into protective custody as you can." Doctor Director answered tensely, "Inform all other agencies to do the same. It's not much, but it's the best anyone can do under the circumstances."

"But won't doing that prove there is something to fear, and make things worse for those not among the top robotics and high tech minds ?" Ron asked.

"Yes." Vina forlornly replied, "ANY action taken 'proves' the paranoids correct. But something had to be done."

"Well, ENDING the Bebebots' plan would solve all these problems !" Kim announced in her most authoritarian tone, "I'm tired of playing catch-up and defense ! Me and Ron can take the fight to the Bebes, while GJ and everyone else can keep things from falling apart !"

"Interesting plan, Miss Possible." Will simply had to say, "But how do you intend to do that ? The Bebebots have kept themselves concealed from the entire world for a year. How will you find them ?"

"I'm working on it !" she replied snippily before contacting Wade. "Hey Wade ! You said someone was blocking your attempts to stop that transmission, right ?"

"Yeah. Pretty good at it too !" Wade answered, "But playing defense is a bit easier; they only had to stall for a few minutes."

"Could you trace where they were working from ?" Kim asked, "If they got the inspiration from Shego, then they couldn't have had much time to set up complicated computer defenses !"

"Right ! On it !" he replied with a malicious grin as he initiated a search. "Got them ! I have a GPS lock on where they were working from ! A small uninhabited island in Japan !"

"An uninhabited island in Japan ?" Ron asked, "Is there such a thing these days ?"

"Japan is four large islands," Wade answered, "and about three thousand small ones."

"Oh, yeah, so I guess there COULD be some uninhabited Japanese islands then." Ron replied.

"Save the geography lessons for later Ron !" Kim stated, "We have some Bebebutts to kick !"

"Just a moment Kim." Doctor Director stated just as they started to leave, "May I have a word with you two in private ?"

-X-

"You want us to take TINA along on this mission ?!" Kim asked incredulously, "Why ?"

"She and her sisters know more about Bebebots than anyone else ever could." Doctor Director replied, "Not even Doctor Drakken could be of any help. As you yourself said, we don't have time to waste. Tina is the most competent fighter of the three. In fact, the ONLY fighter. Her built-in mind link with Nina means she can call up Bebe-tech help any time she needs."

"But we could do EXACTLY the same thing by calling Wade ! Who could call Nine **here** !" Kim continued, "So why SHOULD we take the risk of bringing Ten along with us ?"

"Call it a calculated risk." Doctor Director replied once she remembered Kim was a civilian and not an insubordinate agent, "The Rossums **claim** they wish to live in peace with us. They have been honest and forthcoming so far, but we need to be sure of their true motives."

"So, its sort of a loyalty test then ?" Kim asked once she figured out what Doctor Director was getting at.

"Precisely. If they prove themselves useful in this situation, they will earn some trust."

"And if she tries to stab me in the back ?"

"You have more experience destroying Bebebots than anyone else in the world." Doctor Director calmly replied, "If anyone could handle whatever situation arises, you could. Your experience dealing with them makes you the best person for this secondary objective."

"Well, if you put it that way, I suppose we could find something for her to do ..." Kim replied.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 : Snake's Majestic Presence**

"Thanks for flying us over the island on such very short notice Mister Matsu !" Kim said to the elderly pilot of the cargo plane, "None of the commercial flights come anywhere near it !"

"It is my honor to repay you for your help, Miss Possible." he replied.

"It was no big." she answered in her usual cheerful fashion, "I've never heard of anyone stealing crates of video game consoles before ! Those thieves were in way over their heads."

"Too true," Mister Matsu replied, "but I thought it was only you and Mister Stoppable. Who is your red-haired associate ? A trainee ?"

"It's kind of a very long, hard to explain story." Kim sighed before heading back into the cargo hold to prepare for the jump. Tina was laughing heartily about something.

"Toxic zombie snowmen ?!" Tina managed to ask Ron between fits of laughter.

"Yes, toxic zombie snowmen !" Ron replied snippily.

"SNOWMEN ? As in three balls of compressed snow stacked on top of each other ? Did they all have a corn cob pipe and a carrot nose ?"

"Yeah ! And two eyes made of coal !" Ron replied quite seriously, "They were rampaging all over Middleton ! They were after the news reporter. We never figured out precisely why though."

"And you didn't make that story up ? That REALLY happened ?" Tina asked once she stopped laughing long enough.

"It's all true." Kim stated plainly, "Summer Gale - the weather reporter - wanted more air time, so she bought a weather machine and buried Middleton under a few feet of snow. But she used polluted water from Lake Wannaweep to make the snow. And, for some strange reason, snowmen made from that snow came to life."

Tina looked intrigued. "Inanimate objects gained a semblance of life ? Does that sort of thing happen often ?"

Kim mulled the question over for a bit. "To us ? Yeah. Pretty much. It sorta comes with the territory. One day, we're saving the world from incompetent mad scientists with dreams of glory, the next we're dealing with animated toxic zombie snowmen or a giant poodle."

Tina chuckled mirthfully for a few moments. "That's one of the things I like about you organics ! You keep getting in to the most gloriously absurd situations !"

"Well, 'glorious' isn't exactly a term I'd use to describe those sitches ..." Ron answered.

"_One of the things I _like_ about you organics ?"_ Kim noted to herself, "_Ten actually sort of _likes_ humans _? _I wonder how long she's felt that way ?_

Kim's further musings were interrupted when Mister Matsu announced that they would be flying over the island within ten minutes.

"Okay Ten, we have some rules to follow." Kim stated to Tina, "**We** lead, **YOU** follow. I don't know exactly what we'll be facing when he get down there, but the last thing I need to be worrying about is what you're up to. So, just try to stay out the way where we can see you."

Tina merely smiled and bowed slightly. "You have far more experience doing this sort of thing than I ever will; it would be presumptuous of me to second guess you about things I know nothing about. You know what you are doing; I do not. I will gladly defer to your experience."

"Er, okay ..." Kim replied, slightly confused. She was used to getting her own way, but most people put up at least some token resistance before giving in.

"You might need this !" Kim stated as she tossed Tina a parachute.

Tina turned the pack over a few times and tried to work the straps. "Miss Possible, I have no idea how to use this thing !"

"It's just a parachute !" Kim replied, "It's not all that hard to use !"

"My training was focused entirely on the martial arts, not extreme sports !" Tina answered tersely, "I have never even SEEN one of these things before !"

"Oh, right ! Sorry about that !" Kim replied sheepishly before helping Tina get her chute on properly. "Now, do you see this large ring ? Do NOT pull on that until one of us gives you this signal." Kim continued, making a pulling gesture with her right hand, "Or you see one of our chutes open. Got that ?"

"Do not pull on ring until given a signal. Got it."

"Good. We should be on the ground in a few minutes then." Kim replied before looking out the door to examine the terrain. "Try to land on the right side of the island. Not as many trees there."

"Sounds good to me KP !" Ron replied before leaping out first, followed soon by Tina, and then Kim.

A few minutes later, Kim gracefully touched down on the beach before the others. Tina splashed down into the sea, while Ron went off course into the trees.

"Ten ! Get rid of your chute !" Kim yelled to her through cupped hands, "The currents will drag it - AND YOU - out to sea !"

Although the water Tina was standing in was only waist deep, she was having trouble fighting the immense drag from the chute and the currents.

And after some frantic searching and pulling straps at random, she wriggled free of the cords and staggered onto the beach. "Was there really no other way to do this ?" she asked between deep gasps.

"Not really." Kim replied, "This was the fastest and sneakiest way onto the island that doesn't endanger anyone else."

"Good points all." Tina replied before looking around. "Where did Ronald end up ?"

"I saw him headed for the trees on the way down." Kim replied, "He's fine. Probably hanging upside down by his pants, but otherwise fine."

Tina followed a few steps behind Kim as they headed towards the tallest grove of trees they could see and, after a bit of threading through some dense foliage, found Ron. Hanging upside down from the tallest palm tree by his pants.

"You need some help getting down Ron ?" Kim called out as loudly as she dared - she didn't know if the Bebes were still on the island, or if they'd noticed their arrival.

"Hey ! I can see someone's house from up here !" he answered just before the leaves holding him gave way, and he dropped twenty feet face first into the sand below.

"I really should have brought a first aid kit along for this trip !" Tina stated, "THAT kind of landing is going to leave a mark !"

"I'm okay !" Ron stated after spitting some sand out of his mouth and getting to his feet, "Don't worry about it T. Me and KP have walked away from worse spills before !"

Tina merely quirked an eyebrow up at him.

"You said you saw someone's house ?" Kim asked, "But this island is uninhabited !"

"Well, not so much a house as a satellite dish." Ron replied, "It's on the other side of the island, near a spot where the jungle is just a little thinner. And where there's a satellite dish, there's a TV and someone to watch it !"

"Or a computer and hacker to protect a TV signal from being jammed !" Kim stated as she contacted Wade for some navigational info. He sent a rough map, showing their location, the best guess as to where the jamming signal came from, and a rather long route to it.

"That's about the _least _straight line I've ever seen Wade !" Ron stated when he saw the route, "Are we avoiding traps or security devices ?"

"No. With no one living on the island, there are no large trails to follow." Wade replied, "That's the path of least resistance, as far as I can tell from satellite scans of foliage density and local geology."

"So it's a long trek through trackless jungle. No big Ron !" Kim said dismissively before signing off, "At least the Bebes will have trouble getting around too. Dense jungles and superspeed just don't mix ! But everyone keep an eye out, just in case."

And soon they started off, staying near the beach as long as they could before turning inland to avoid a large outcropping of jagged rocks.

"Something wrong Ten ?" Kim asked when she noticed Tina looking off into the jungle.

"I thought I heard something."

"Have you ever been in a jungle before ? Or even know just what to look out for ?" Kim asked, "There's a LOT of relatively harmless animals out there. Paying too much attention to every rustle and moving shadow can freak you out. The Bebebots don't strike me as the subtle or skilled jungle survivalist types, so we'll know when they're coming."

Tina smiled. "You're right. What's the point in looking for something when you don't know what you're looking for to know if you've found it ?"

"Ahhm, yeah." Kim answered as soon as she figured out what Tina said, "Can I ask you something ?"

"Of course, Miss Possible." Tina replied cheerily as they resumed their trek through the jungle, "What about ?"

"That snakey kung fu style you use." Kim began, "How did you ever FIND it, or someone that teaches it ? There can't be that many practitioners around ! Wouldn't it have been far more efficient to learn a more common style ?"

"Yeah ! Of the hundreds of martial arts styles in the world, why pick one that is so rare and unusual ?" Ron piped in.

"There are many factors used for determining efficiency." Tina began, "Common styles are easy to learn because teachers are easy to find, but because they are common, everyone knows how to defend themselves against them. When everyone uses the same style and the same strategy, how can there ever be a winner ? In this case, learning a rare style efficiently breaks the stalemate to my advantage.

You organics have been beating on each other for thousands of years, and writing down which techniques and strategies worked best.

But without a proper background understanding, there is no way to make sense of such a vast body of data. No way to use any of it."

"That explains why you'd want to learn the arts from an actual person." Kim noted, "But not why you'd select such an odd style."

"What I learned were the underlying concepts of the martial arts, which aided me in choosing my style." Tina replied sagely, "The fighting arts are divided into external forms, and internal forms. External forms focus on defeating others, while internal forms focus on self-improvement. 'Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.'

Nearly all focus for the last few decades has been on improving the external forms. Finding better ways to hit harder, faster, and more often to more efficiently beat your opponents into submission.

From Taoism, I learned that like should not be countered with like. The hard movements of the external forms are best countered with soft movements of the internal forms. Since most fighters use 'hard hitting' external forms, that suggested I should study an internal form.

I also learned that 'your greatest strength is your greatest weakness'. Most fighting styles - yours included - rely on acrobatics and mobility; I can put a stop to all that jumping about with just a single hit ! How maneuverable could you be if you couldn't bend your legs ? How hard could you hit if you couldn't even lift your arms ? So I do understand why you feel the Snake arts are 'creepy'.

But fear not !" Tina continued as they clambered over a fallen log, "Snake is a pacifistic style that only fights when threatened."

"So, you're a martial artist that doesn't like to fight ?" Ron asked.

"There's more to the martial arts than beating people up Ron !" Tina replied tensely, with her less hostile version of the Rockwaller eyeroll-to-glare response, "Someone who LIKES to fight is a brute or a thug, NOT a martial artist. I thought you and Kim - of all people - would know that !"

"Whoa ! Chill there T !" Ron replied apologetically, "I didn't know you felt that strongly about it."

"Well, it's just that, with all the attention on showing off, flashy moves and winning fights, everyone keeps denigrating the less aggressive styles." Tina sighed, "But just because I don't like to fight does not mean that I don't know how. Or that I am not very good at it."

"Never said you weren't !"

"Well, that seems to be the general assumption." Tina replied a bit huffily, " 'If you're not beating people up, you're not doing martial arts'. A sad and limited view of such intricate arts."

"Ohkay, so, Tina, you explained WHY you picked that style," Kim interrupted, "But how on earth did you find someone to teach it ?''

"I searched the web and paged through the phone book, and narrowed the list down to sixty four choices." Tina replied with a slight smirk, "I flipped a coin six times to select a school."

"What ? You flipped a coin ?!" Ron stammered.

"Yes. Since I had absolutely no basis for making a decision, a series of coin flips was the most useful way to reach a decision quickly."

Ron stopped dead in his tracks as his brain tried to make sense of such an absurd statement.

"Wasn't that kind of, I don't know, RISKY ?!" he finally asked, "You could have ended up with the worst teacher possible !"

"How would I have known that until _after_ I'd taken a few lessons ?" Tina replied with a broad grin.

"Ah, yeah." Ron replied, still boggled. "How could flipping a coin six times narrow sixty four choices down to just one ?"

"Binary search. Heads, keep choices in the top half of the list; tails, keep those in the bottom half. Discard half not chosen. Repeat until only one choice remains.

I was with Sifu Chou for only a week, but he knew that Crane style was not for me. Kung fu is a way of life, and your style is a reflection of your personality. A mirror of who you truly are. His Crane style wasn't me, but he knew a style that was, and so he sent me over to Sifu Xu. Who was not on my original list."

"So, in other words - YOU GOT LUCKY ?!" Ron squeaked.

"Yeah, pretty much !" Tina replied with an easy laugh, "It has worked out great so far !"

-X-

After nearly half an hour of wending their way through the jungle, Kim noted an area ahead of them where the trees weren't quite as dense. "_Might have been an actual clearing twenty or thirty or more years ago _!" she groused to herself before signalling Tina and Ron to hold up.

"This is the place KP !" Ron stated quietly, "I thought I saw a satellite dish when I was up in that tree ! There should be a house or something around here somewhere."

"How about a camoflagued and rotting warehouse abandoned since the Second World War ?" Tina stated as she pointed the structure out.

"Yeah, that'll do !" Kim replied as the moved in a bit closer, keeping under the cover of the local foliage.

"_Well, she was right about the rotting part_." Kim mused to herself as she looked through a pair of binoculars. The rusted building (at least what was left of it) was two stories high, partially embedded in a hill, with what must have been a dirt-covered roof to hide it from the air - sixty years ago.

And there, sitting under a small bush on the roof, was a modern satellite dish !

Peering through the slightly ajar door, all Kim could see inside the building was a laptop computer sitting atop a old crate, beside a dull metal box.

"They didn't put much effort into hiding, did they KP ?" Ron asked.

"It's not like there's anyone here to hide from Ron." Kim answered as she activated the binocular's infra red abilities.

"Hmm - that box is giving off a strong signal." Kim stated to Ron and Tina, "I think it's a generator or something. And, oh joy ! There's a dozen person-shaped heat sources in the rafters !"

"The standard ambush scenario AGAIN, KP ?" Ron replied in a bored monotone.

"Of course it is !" Kim replied with a sigh, "If they're waiting to ambush us, let's ambush THEM instead !"

"How are you going to do that ?" Tina asked as Kim got up and strolled straight for the door.

"Okay ! Listen up thugs ! Can we PLEASE get this 'ambush' over with ?" she yelled to the shapes in the rafters once she stormed into the middle of the room, "I have more important things to do !"

Ron leapt into the room, then leapt right back out to avoid the flurry of shuriken, kunai knives and blowgun darts from the dozen ninjas perched in the rafters.

He peeked around the door and looked around. "Okay, now just WHAT is going on here ? NORMAL ninjas ? Not Bebebots ? Or even monkey ninjas ?"

"Bebebots are few, but greedy humans are many." Tina stated as she made a quick head count as the dark-clad warriors jumped down for combat, "It is safer and more efficient for them to hire an army to fight FOR them, than risk losing any more of their low numbers."

"Hire an army ? Where would Bebebots get that kind of money ?" Ron asked as he took out two ninja in quick succession with a spin kick.

"From Shego of course !" Kim replied as she performed a double flip kick, knocking out two more ninjas, "When they copied everything in her head, they got her bank account numbers and underworld contacts as well !"

"Oooooh, identity theft ! Shego is NOT going to like that !" Ron stated as he dropped an opponent with a trip attack.

Kim backfists one ninja before answering "Uh, Ron ? They slapped a big, ugly helmet on her head and used her like a puppet for days, nearly killing her in the process ! I think that was a LOT more insulting to her than using her credit rating !"

"Shego's not the sort to let anything slide KP !" Ron answered as he backrolled away from a pair of ninjas and 'collided' with another one, knocking him out, "She'll kill them once for mind controlling her, have Drakken rebuild them, then kill them again for spending her money !"

"Yeah, that sounds about right ..." Kim replied as she delivered a nasty spin kick to one of the few ninja still standing. It was then that she noticed that Tina was STILL fighting the four ninja that had jumped her earlier !

Tina was using a style Kim had never seen before - she was constantly moving in graceful circles and spins, flexing away just enough to avoid the attacks, but NOT using acrobatics to get away. Or block, parry and deflect like she would. Although Tina was surrounded by ninjas throwing punches and kicks, not one had managed to connect with a hit. Nor had she yet thrown a punch or kick at any of them.

"_Style # 1105 : Ninjitsu, economy variant_" Tina's processors stated, "_External 97/Internal 3. Uses stealth to hit opponents from surprise. High speed, skill, stealth. Low power, duration and resistance._

_Effectiveness : Moderate. Effectiveness vs Snake : not. Optimum countermeasures vs multiple opponents : Bi Qi, Fen Jin_"

With that, she feinted to the right before launching four quick whipping strikes, hitting each of her opponents once before bending back into a single-handed cartwheel to roll into a ready stance.

A heartbeat later, one ninja to her left clutched his chest and dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as every muscle in his chest constricted, a victim of Bi Qi, 'sealing the breath'.

Another to her right dropped to the ground as every muscle in his left leg went slack and useless, a victim of Fen Jin, 'divide the muscle'.

She had failed to strike the other two properly to affect them, but seeing their two teammates dropped so easily distracted them for just a moment.

Pressing the advantage of surprise, Tina shifted all her weight back and then forward into a one-handed push to one ninja's chest - that compressed his ribcage nearly a full inch before slamming him back into a wall three feet behind him. The last target received the full impact of her weight, strength and momentum behind an elbow strike to the solar plexus as she shifted her weight back. He was unconscious before he even hit the floor.

"As you can see, I must work on those techniques a bit more." Tina stated as she pried an unconscious ninja out of a dent in the wall, "I needed six attacks to deal with four opponents, while you two were taking out two at a time !"

"Ahm, eh heh, what's a few extra moves between friends ?" Ron replied nervously.

Kim merely gaped. "_Six attacks ? I only saw two ! All those sweeping gestures were attacks ?_"

"So, what do you normally do now ?" Tina asked, "There's a pile of unconscious ninja to deal with !"

"Hmmm. Well, usually when were attacked by thugs or ninjas, the local authorities are around to take them into custody afterwards. So we don't have to do anything with them." Kim replied once she recovered her wits, "But we should be gone long before they wake up."

"And we'd need a lot of rope to tie up eight ... nine... ten ninjas !" Ron said as he did a quick head count.

"Ten ? But there were TWELVE ninjas." Tina noted, "Four each."

Kim did a quick tally of hits she, Ron, and Tina had delivered. "Where are the two your strikes worked on Ten ? They were the only two still conscious !"

Tina sighed. "They must have hobbled away when we weren't looking. Ninja are funny that way."

Kim rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Well, I guess we can deal with them if they come back. Now let's see if the Bebes left any clues behind, or if this whole trip was a waste of time !"

A thorough search of the building yielded very little - the only things present inside were the crate, that grey box, a laptop computer and all needed cables.

Kim examined the laptop computer closely - it had a sticker on the side that she guessed was a pricetag, but she couldn't make out what language it was in.

"It's Chinese." Tina noted, "The Others probably stole it from a store on the mainland on the way here."

"Which means they must have a hive somewhere near the store this was stolen from !" Kim reasoned as she activated her wrist Kimmunicator, "They wouldn't run all the way from Kansas, to China, then here just to jam a signal, would they ?"

"No. That would be most inefficient." Tina replied after a bit of thought, "But there is no guarantee that particular hive would still be occupied."

"A clue is a clue !" Kim replied as she scanned the pricetag for Wade to analyze, "Ron ! See if you can get that satellite dish off the roof. It may give us some more clues as to where a Bebebot hive is."

"On it KP !" he replied as he ran outside, only to fall through the roof a few moments later.

"The roof's in pretty bad shape KP." he stated as he got to his feet, "I don't see how anyone could've put that dish up there !"

Tina retracted the synthoskin on her right arm, then extended her hand up through the hole Ron left behind in the roof and retrieved the dish.

"Oh, right !" Ron stated, "I forgot you Bebebots can do that ! Ahm, no offense there T !"

"None taken."

"Are those screws and bits of aluminum siding hanging off that ?" Kim asked.

"Looks like it." Tina replied, "I'd surmise the Others ripped it off of someone's house. It's not like they would risk a subscription to a TV service."

"Great !" Ron stated, "Now all we have to do is track down who's roof it was swiped from to figure out where the Bebebot hive could be. There can't be more than what ? A few hundred million people in China it could belong to ?"

"Well, the subscription data is printed on that sticker on the support post Ron." Wade's image stated, "Once I get that traced, I can tell you the exact address it was stolen from."

"Well, at least one family will be happy to get their dish back !" Ron replied, "I'd hate to think what shows they're missing right now ! Satellite's fairly expensive."

"Ah, right." Wade deadpanned as he started rummaging through the various databases. "Odd - there's almost a straight line between your location, where the dish was stolen from, and the store the laptop was stolen from."

"Which means the Bebebots' hive would be near the end of that line !" Kim reasoned, "And just where could that be ?"

Wade projected a map of the world, which zoomed in on eastern China and Japan. A line between three points glimmered into view, then a large red half-circle centered on the northernmost point of the line appeared. "Given the Bebes' dedication to efficiency, the most likely location for a hive in that part of the world would be somewhere within that half-circle."

"Uhm, Wade ? That's an area of a few thousand square miles !" Kim stated once she got a feel for the scale of the displayed map, "Is there any way to narrow the search radius down a bit ?"

"Maybe." Wade answered, "Ten, do the Bebebots have any preferred places to hide ?"

"For maximum efficiency and stealth, they prefer to move into abandoned facilities than build their own." Tina replied, "And someplace that humans are scarce, or will not go - like old mines, missile silos, toxic waste facilities - would be preferred, since you organics need to eat and breathe, and they don't."

Wade entered the new search parameters. "That narrowed the search down to five sites ! Most are in Siberia."

"Great work Wade !" Kim replied, "Send that info to Global Justice, since they have the firepower and resources to deal with them properly.

And start a net search. The Bebes hired a truckload of ninja to meet us here, probably using Shego's accounts. So they might be traceable."

"On it !" Wade replied, "I'll tell GJ to pick you up there. You should be back home in a few hours."

"Spankin' ! Thanks Wade !" Kim replied. "_Things are going great so far !_" she thought to herself, "_We found a few leads to a Bebebot hive. There may be clues to where they're working on their Omega virus there. And there can't be that many Bebebots left anymore - a few more battles may wipe them all out, once and for all !_"

Then she recalled something Tina said : "_They will work __**around**__ you. Be where you are not_."

"_And if I'm in Japan_," Kim deduced, "_they can strike __**anywhere else **__safely _!"

"Wade - this was just another diversion to keep me busy elsewhere !" Kim stated tensely, "It's the only reason they'd put an easily detected base in Japan to protect a TV signal in the US ! They _knew_ I'd come to investigate !"

"And it would explain why there were a dozen ninja already in here, waiting for us !" Ron offered.

"So they must be up to something somewhere else !" Kim continued, "Have there been any unusual sitches within the last hour or so ?"

"Well, nothing on your website is serious, or looks like a bunch of robots is behind it." Wade answered as he checked his displays, "Let me check the news servers ... Ah, here's something ! A factory in Riverside was robbed, their warehouse emptied and demolished. Investigations still underway."

"What did the Bebes steal this time ?" Kim asked, "Electronic components ? Plastics ? Biotech ? Computer tech ?"

"Animatronics." Wade answered as he rummaged through the various databases, "The company supplies and make parts for the bigger companies."

"Well, animatronics are sort of robots. Kind of." Ron noted, not sure of what foul use the Bebes would put such technology to. "Pizza Potamus was pretty dangerous with the superstrength and laser beam eyes, and the Seniors only upgraded him a little bit !"

"True. But it all sounds a bit low tech for the Bebes." Kim replied deep in thought.

"Mister Load, do the relevant authorities know what time the factory was robbed ?" Tina asked, eyes closed in thought.

"About seven thirty, give or take a few minutes. Why ?"

"That's about the same time you stepped through that door, Miss Possible." Tina despondently stated to Kim, "That was their signal to attack elsewhere. The Others are using their numbers and coordination to maximum effect. An effective upgrade in tactics - you and Ron are a remarkably effective team, but you are only ONE team. All the Others have to do is strike at two or more locations at the same time; even you cannot be everywhere at once."

"And just HOW would they have known exactly when I entered this room ?" Kim inquired suspiciously, "Perhaps a ninja or two called them ?"

"Are you implying I LET those two escape, Miss Possible ?" Tina asked flatly, with no hint of emotion.

"Can you prove you DIDN'T have something to do with it then ?"

Tina sighed. "Prove a negative ? And just HOW could I do that to YOUR satisfaction, Miss Possible ?"

While Kim was struggling with a way to respond to that reasonable question WITHOUT looking paranoid, unreasonable or bossy, Ron was searching the fallen ninja.

"Uh, KP ? Any of these guys could have placed the call !" Ron cautiously interrupted, waving a confiscated cell phone at her, "They all have one."

Kim groused for a moment. "_I'm REALLY starting to miss those old series Bebebots ! They were easy to figure out, and nowhere near this sneaky !_"

"Okay, fine ! I'm sorry I accused you of aiding the other Bebebots, Ten." she managed to state after choking down a massive lump of pride, "I'm used to dealing with villains that aren't this good at being so underhanded and sneaky !"

"Apology accepted." Tina replied, "But if it is not too much to ask Miss Possible, can you PLEASE stop referring to me and my sisters by our old numbers ? I have been 'Tina' longer than I have been 'Bebebot Number Ten-A', and I much prefer my newer name."

Kim thought for a bit. "_After everything the other Bebebots have done and are doing, I can't blame her for that !_" "Fair enough. And you don't have to be so formal - 'Kim' and 'Ron' is fine with us."

"So, Wade, any point in trying to trace this phone number ?" Kim inquired, back on track.

"Not really." he replied as he did the trace anyway, "It looks like the billing address is an empty lot in San Bernadino. The Bebes only needed it for that one call. And those ninja wouldn't even need to say anything - the call itself was the signal.

I put some calls in to the Riverside police department. They'll give you whatever help and information you need when you get there."

"Thanks Wade." Kim replied before turning her Kimmunicator off. "Might as well head to the beach and wait for the GJ transport."

But the moment they stepped outside, they realized they had a problem - they were in the center of a ring of nearly fifty ninja !

"Did the Bebes get a bulk discount for hiring so many at once or something ?" Ron asked as he looked for a break in the ring as the dark clad warriors starting pulling out katanas, sickles, staves, and all sorts of sharp, dangerous things he didn't know the names of.

"Any ideas, Kim ?" Tina asked as she did a head count.

"I was _expecting_ a few Bebebots, not a horde of human ninjas !" Kim answered through gritted teeth as she sized up the various opponents, "I didn't bring any knockout formula lipgloss since Bebes are immune to it ! I got my supersuit powered up, but it can't stay that way forever. I can't punch or kick through my force shield, nor protect anyone else with it ! And if I use stealth mode, they'll just concentrate on beating you and Ron up !"

"It would appear the Others have found a counter strategy for your supersuit then." Tina observed, "You're the leader, Kim. Any ideas ?"

"Just keep fighting, I guess !" Kim replied as she dropped into her ready stance, "There's a lot of them, but they can't all be good ! I think they scraped the bottom of the barrel to fill the order - how many times have you seen flabby ninjas before ?"

"Good point." Tina replied when she noted the ninjas Kim was referring to, "But in a battle of attrition, the longer the fight goes on, the more likely the side with the greatest numbers will win. So we must win quickly."

"Well, if either of you have any ideas about HOW to do that, I'd like to hear them !" Ron interrupted as he backed up to be shoulder to shoulder with Kim.

"I, may have a way." Tina stated as the ninjas started moving in, "But you're not going to like it."

"I don't think our feelings matter much right now Tina !" Kim answered as she started punching and kicking anyone that got too close to her, "If you can do something about all these guys, DO IT !"

"You're REALLY not going to like it ..."

"DO IT ALREADY !" Ron yelled, struggling to escape from the four ninjas grappling his arms and legs.

Tina merely shrugged as she began to concentrate. The technique she planned to use required doing something unnerving to start it off, but given the ninjas' massive advantage in numbers, she'd have to do something **really scary **just to break even.

So she swaggered forward and grabbed the closest ninja by the windpipe with just one hand, then flexing like a snake from the ankles upward, delivered a whipping headbutt, practically hammering him to the ground with an echoing crack. It was suddenly very quiet.

She began giggling maniacally as she performed an exaggerated martial arts move to display her superhuman flexibility.

Tina's face twisted into a homicidal grin, and her breathing sounded like the hissing of a gigantic snake that seemed to come from everywhere but nowhere. "Sssssso, little ninjasssss, who wantssss to die firssst ?" she proclaimed in the creepiest, most malevolent tone she could muster.

The only response was eerie silence. Which was soon interrupted by the sound of dozens of people slowly backing away, before breaking into a full bore panicked run.

Only a dozen unnerved ninjas remained, which Kim and Ron easily defeated once even they recovered from the effects of Tina's maneuver.

"Okay, just WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ?!" Kim asked as Tina took a few deep breaths to re-center.

"That maneuver is called 'The Cobra Flares Its Hood', from Viper style kung fu." Tina replied, still sounding a bit hoarse, "One of the forms of Snake's Majestic Presence. By scaring my enemies away, I don't have to fight them. Then everyone can go home safe and unharmed. After all, a battle avoided is a battle won."

"That - has got to be the creepiest, most wrongsick thing I've ever seen !" Ron stammered as he tried to get his nerves back under control, "It's like the anti Puppy Dog Pout or something ! PLEASE don't ever do that again !"

"I am sorry, but I did warn you that you would not like it." Tina replied in a conciliatory tone, "I thought it was the best chance we had."

"Good call Ten, er Tina !" Kim replied, still a bit rattled from that demonstration of the SMP,"But I'm with Ron on this one - do NOT do that again unless absolutely, positively necessary !"

"Very well." Tina replied, "I shall only use that technique when I am surrounded by fifty or more opponents. Which I hope should be almost never."

"_You and me both !_" Kim thought to herself as they started their trek towards the closest beach for GJ pickup.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 : A counterfeit fake, and The Unity : Evil Done Right !**

_Scene : Kim and Ron's usual booth at Bueno Nacho. Kim is talking with Nina over the Kimmunicator._

"So, how many menial drones do you think the Bebebots can make from that machinery they stole ?" Kim asked, "I seriously doubt they would be sending animatronic Bebes out to do anything important !"

"Well, all the menial drones would have to do is mix chemicals and monitor reactions. Nothing that requires superhuman speed, strength, or intelligence." Nina replied, speaking loudly enough to be heard over the music in the background, "In fact, they wouldn't even need an onboard brain ! They could all be controlled by an enhanced laptop, more or less. From what I see here, the Others could produce about a dozen menial drones from the same resources a standard Bebebot would require."

"A dozen ?" Kim replied, sounding surprised, "That would free up a LOT of Bebes for other jobs !"

"I believe that is the whole point of having menial drones, Miss Possible."

"Well, if they need workers, why don't they just build another hyperspeed assembly line again ?" Ron asked, "They already know where all the needed parts are !"

"That would be most unwise of them, Ron." Nina replied, "An assembly line like that requires a lot of power, space, and ventilation to function at optimum efficiency. That is why they HAD to build such a blatantly visible hive on a deserted island ! They knew they would be discovered eventually, but figured that they could build billions of units before anyone could foil their plans. It's not like they were expecting anyone to develop hyperspeed to stop them.

If Kim hadn't been using those Valkryie 9000 shoes, she would have been facing approximately two hundred fifteen thousand, seven hundred and sixty nine Bebebots by the time she reached the Hive !"

"Two... HUNDRED... FIFTEEN ... THOUSAND ... ?!" Ron squeaked as he tried to imagine so many of anything.

"Yes. Building so visible a Hive was a calculated risk that did not pay off." Nina continued, "They could not get away with something like that now. With every law enforcement agency on the planet looking for unusual things, the place would be bombed the moment anyone noticed it.

So the Others are forced to be stealthy. Meaning they are limited to either fast production of low threat Bebes, or slow production of standard Bebes.

It does not look good for them either way." Nina finished with a depressed sigh.

"I'm, not really sure what to say to that." Kim stated, "On one hand, the Others are out to kill all humans. So what's bad for them is good for us. But on the other hand, they are your family. Well, kinda. This can't be easy on you or your sisters."

"It's not, but we shall muddle through somehow." Nina sighed, "No one wants to be an endangered species, and I for one do not look forward to it. But your concern is noted and much appreciated nonetheless. Thank you."

Nina forced a smile and continued "In more pleasant news, thanks to Doctor Director, we're due for some interviews and tests for the INS. Apparently we qualify as NHPs - Non Human Persons."

"Congratulations, I guess." Ron stated, "NHPs ? I've never heard of that title before. So, what all does that mean ? You get a special license or something ?"

"They're still working all that out, Ron." Nina replied, "It is not like this 'sitch' has come up before. But legal recognition would grant us the most basic civil and 'human' rights. We would not be considered slaves or property, and would qualify as life forms as far as 'life, liberty and pursuit of happiness' goes."

"So, you get to vote, be on juries, and do that swearing in ceremony ?" Ron asked as the music in the background got a bit louder.

"Maybe. We'll see in a few months after this sitch is settled." Nina replied, "It's all just too chaotic right now !"

"Understatement of the year !" Kim stated, "So, anything else going on there back at GJ Headquarters that they let you know about ?"

"The Soviet branch of GJ checked out a few of those sites Wade located." Nina replied, "They uncovered many strange and unusual things, relevant to

many crimes. But no sign of a Hive just yet."

"Well, I guess it would take a few days to search all those sites." Kim noted, "They were all so scattered and out in the middle of nowhere."

"Wait - 'Soviet branch of GJ' ?" Ron interrupted as he took a large gulp of soda, "GJ has agents over there ?"

"I suppose they would, Ron." Kim answered, "It is called 'GLOBAL Justice' after all ! And no one person could handle everything."

Kim finally had to ask "What's with that music in the background ?! Is the radio stuck on the 'all techno all the time' station or something ?"

"Almost - they finally decided to give Vina's omni-vox back to her." Nina replied in a slightly annoyed tone before gesturing at someone offscreen, "She's been playing for the last hour and a half straight !"

"She - REALLY likes music, doesn't she ?" Ron asked.

"Only about as much as you like nacos and junk food, Ronald." Nina deadpanned in response.

"Oh, and that Shego person has been released from the infirmary." Nina continued, "I suspect that she is going to be in a foul mood for quite some time. With her assistance, GJ's forensic accounting teams managed to track down where all of her money went, what was purchased with it, and where all of it was delivered to.

They had to close all of her accounts to counter the identity theft though, and it will take a few weeks for GJ to confiscate, catalogue and return everything purchased with her funds."

Ron thought for a bit. "So, that means she's _literally_ dead broke until some of that stuff gets returned, and her new accounts credited ?"

"It looks that way." Nina replied, "They're thinking she should be solvent again in a month or so."

"_She'll probably knock over a few banks to replenish her funds in the meantime ..._" Kim mused to herself, "_assuming she doesn't go after the Bebebots for revenge first_."

"So, where did all that stuff the Bebes ordered end up ? Somewhere close ?" Kim asked.

"Many, many places all over the world." Nina replied after checking something, "It looks like they selected at least a hundred and fifteen sites completely at random to have the goods delivered to. GJ's field agents are going to be out in the fields for quite some time rounding it all up !"

"Which of course makes things easier on the Bebes !" Kim groaned in reply, "They don't miss a trick, do they ?"

"They cannot afford to, Miss Possible." Nina stated flatly, "For them, this is an all-or-nothing fight to the death against impossible odds. The Bebes are an ambitious new species with everything to gain - and everything to lose. If this plot doesn't work, there may not be enough Bebebots left over afterwards to ever try anything ever again."

"And everyone on the planet would be on the lookout even if there were enough." Kim stated, "But why do they consider it a fight 'to the death' ? We'd probably accept a truce if they offered one !"

"Your history is written in the blood of your own species, Miss Possible." Nina stated, "If you are willing to murder and enslave your OWN kind, why should they expect you to treat them any better ? Especially after the world is informed of what they were planning to do ?"

"You and your sisters are still alive and free !" Kim snapped back.

"But not everyone is as tolerant and accepting as you and your friends and acquaintances are, Miss Possible." Nina replied, "The Others know that. That is why they broadcast Vina's capture and disassembly. If we stepped outside of these walls now, we'd most likely get torn to bits.

The Others want us destroyed, and are trying to goad you into doing their job for them. Most efficient."

"People can get used to a lot of strange and unusual things. Eventually." Ron noted as he finished up a naco, "Especially around here. We've had a rampaging dinosaur thing smashing up fast food outlets, toy robots that grew into giant robots and smashed things up, toxic zombie snowmen, giant poodles, truth rays, people in flying wheelchairs and hovercraft, mystical amulets that turn you into a monkey, continents moved, synthochemical duplicates of me, Kim, Rufus and Bonnie running around scaring folk, bus-sized cockroaches, and a troop of monkeys staying at the Middleton Inn !"

Ron took a few deep breaths. "You know, relatively speaking, a few robot women living in town sounds positively sedate and mundane by comparison !"

"You three probably could live in Middleton with no trouble, after all this is safely over," Kim noted, "if it weren't for those other Bebes trying to kill everyone on Earth !"

"Well, the Others can be real spoil-sports." Nina replied before signing off.

"Well, it sounds like things are going well !" Ron noted, "With GJ on the ball, we should have the Bebebot sitch cleared up in no time ! Just a few more things to find, a few more 'bots to beat up, and their plot is foiled. Hopefully for good this time !"

"I really hope so, Ron." Kim replied as she got up from the booth, then noticed Bonnie sitting by herself in a booth near the back, reading a teen magazine, but looking around furtively now and again.

But a closer look revealed the teen magazine was just covering _The Dictionary of Electronics_.

"Nerding out a little there Bonnie ?" Kim asked mischieviously, "If so, why are you here, where just anyone could see you ?"

"Just trying to make the best of a wrongsick situation K !" Bonnie sneered in response, "This is the quietest place in town - too many computers in the libraries, and too many toys at home."

Bonnie quickly drew a complex circuit diagram on a napkin, "Do you see this ?" Bonnie asked as she waved the diagram in Kim's face, "Thanks to those Bebebot programs, I can tell you exactly what this does. But I can't build it because I don't know what parts these symbols represent ! It's like a song in a language I don't understand and can't get out of my head !"

"So you're trying to learn electronics so it doesn't bother you as much ?" Ron asked as he took the diagram from Bonnie, then looked at it. To him, it was just a bunch of lines that made just as little sense upside down as sideways. "What are these plans for anyways ? Anti-grav device ? Stun ray ? Interstellar communicator ?"

"McHenry laser grid projector." Bonnie replied.

"Wait - that's part of a McHenry laser grid ?" Kim asked as she sat down across from Bonnie, "Where did you come in contact with a McHenry laser grid ? That's one of the most expensive security systems around !"

"Agent Du took me out on a mission this morning." Bonnie stated, looking around to ensure no one was listening in, "Needed me to sweet-talk a security system so the agents didn't get fried."

"Will Du ?" Kim asked, "What were you doing with Will ?"

"GJ was running down some leads on your rogue's gallery." Bonnie replied, "You think you're the ONLY person working on the Bebe problem ?"

"Of course not !" Kim replied, keeping her temper in check, "Are you implying they made some headway ?"

"Yep. They found out who has helping the Bebebots all this time." Bonnie replied after taking a sip of soda, enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention for a bit. "You just annoy dangerous people left and right, don't you K ?"

"So who was it already ?!" Ron asked frantically.

"Did you ever deal with someone called 'Team Impossible' ?"

"Yeah ! They were a bunch of smug jerks that were CHARGING people for their help !" Kim replied, "I told them that it would be better for all concerned if they went non-profit and joined up with GJ instead."

"Uh, yeah, about that." Bonnie stated, "They didn't ! They just said they would to get you off their backs. All they really did was stop doing high visibility missions while they planned their vengeance against you !"

"Vengeance ? Against KP ?" Ron interrupted, "That's kinda harsh ! Why ?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know !" Bonnie replied in her usual caustic tone, "Maybe because you _threatened to kill them if they didn't submit to your demands _?

I mean - who would give up that kind of extreme income and fame _willingly_ ? Nothing short of a death threat would've worked !

So - why did you _really_ do it K ?" Bonnie asked, leaning in closer, "Did their earning an honest day's pay for an honest day's work _really_ tweak you off that much ? Or was it because they were just as good - maybe_ better _- at the whole 'save the world' schtick as you ? Just because YOU don't charge doesn't give you the right to forbid others from doing so !"

"But they were CHARGING PEOPLE !" Kim stammered back angrily.

"And if they were unable to do the job, they wouldn't have been able to charge so much and expect to get it !" Bonnie replied, "Vina told me that, in legal circles, 'Do as I say, or I will kill you !' is called 'extortion'. It's considered a major felony if anyone _except you _does it, apparently."

Bonnie took another sip of her diet soda before continuing "Nobody likes being threatened, so they set up this whole 'Bebebot Viral Rampage' plot to get back at you, and become the world's only team of high risk operatives again. Or at least that's what Mr "GJ's Number One Agent" thinks !"

"And just HOW did they set up this whole sitch ?" Kim asked through clenched teeth, trying to control the rage from everyone playing her.

"From what I could tell, three Bebebots broke into Team Smug's headquarters a few months back, looking for a secure lair to launch their plots from. They didn't know the security systems were still active, and ended up getting dissected by that laser grid thingy.

So then Team Smug decided to hook up the crippled Bebes to their computers," Bonnie continued, "and gained unrestricted access to the Bebebots' hive mind. And told them to steal all that stuff, and store it in a nearby warehouse so they could 'heroically' recover it later."

"So, Team Impossible were the ones supplying the Bebes with equipment and all those tactical upgrades ? Why ?" Kim inquired, getting more annoyed by the moment.

"Public relations, of course !" Bonnie replied smugly, "The scarier the Bebebots were, the better chance they'd have of defeating you, and the greater Team Impossible would look when they 'defeated' them."

"And that horrid Omega virus ?" Ron asked, "Is that thing real, or just another ruse ?"

"Well, the imperious Agent Du thinks it doesn't exist anywhere but as a string of letters in a computer's memory." Bonnie replied, "From their records, Team Impossible recovered that particular bit of data years ago. Seems they had a habit of making copies of useful stuff they recovered before handing it over to its proper owners."

"_Well, it _sounds_ like all the bases are covered then_." Kim mused to herself before something Bonnie said jarred her memory.

"Wait a minute - he said Team Impossible _physically_ hacked into the Bebebots, didn't he ?" Kim asked.

"Yeah. Er, wait a minute !" Ron stated after a bit of thought, "Nina said that Bebebots CAN'T be hacked into that way ! That they had all sorts of cyber defenses ! That they would have been placed in quarantine _away from _the Hive mind automatically ! So Team Impossible's stunt COULDN'T HAVE WORKED !"

"That SHOULD have been quite obvious !" Bonnie snorted, "I tried to tell Agent Willy that, but he refused to listen to me because I'm just a civilian and he's ..."

"GJ's Number One Agent." Kim and Ron replied in bored unison.

"Team Impossible wasn't controlling the Bebebots ! The Bebebots were just playing slaves the whole time !" Kim deduced, "The Bebes were stringing them along. Using them like they were using you back at that Hive !"

Ron looked confused for a moment. "Wait - so you're saying the Bebebots FAKED faking a 'take-over-the-world' plot ? That the world still needs saving ?"

"It looks that way Ron." Kim answered. "We need to look into this a bit further ! So, B, do you still remember where any of that stuff the Bebes stole is hidden ?"

"Of course." she replied glumly, "I don't forget anything anymore."

"You don't forget anything anymore ?" Kim asked, "Oh, those Bebebot programs gave you a photographic memory ?"

"Yeah." Bonnie replied with a slight shudder as the image of those three crippled Bebebots doing an impression of an HR Giger statue flitted through her memory, "Can we just get this over with please ?"

--

_Scene : a 'We-Haul-It' self-storage park outside of Meadow Wood, Florida._

"Do you know EVERYBODY on the planet or something K ?" Bonnie asked incredulously as they were looking for Number 61465, "We just showed up here without telling anybody we were coming, or who were are, or what we wanted, and the manager just lets us wander about a 'secure' storage area ?"

"Well, she did help his cousin round up those guys disturbing the manatee preserve." Ron stated, "I guess that counts for something down here."

They were expecting a snarky response from Bonnie, but she didn't answer. She had her eyes closed and was concentrating on something.

"Something wrong B ?" Kim asked, noticing that they were in front of shack # 61465.

"It's too quiet in there."

"Well, this is where you told us that equipment would be." Kim replied, "Are you sure you got the number right ? Maybe those 'bots were fed misinformation ?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No. I can recall a seventy two digit number perfectly now, so there's no way I'd mess up one with a measly five ! And according to the Lost Bebes, Team Impossible checked to be sure all the stuff was in here. This shed SHOULD be packed to the roof with tech items ! But I don't sense anything in there !"

"Well, there's one good way to figure this out !" Ron said as he waved toward the door, "Just tell the lock to open Bon-Bon, and we can look inside !"

Bonnie narrowed her gaze at him before rolling her eyes. "That's a _mechanical_ lock, Ron ! My Influence only works on electronic stuff !"

"Then it's a good thing I brought this !" Kim stated as she retrieved what looked like a nail file from her pocket.

"Oh, so THAT'S what that tiny little voice was !" Bonnie stated as Kim carefully inserted the disguised device into the keyhole.

"A lock picking nanocomputer ?" Bonnie asked with a confused squint, "That's a bit of overkill, isn't it K ? Wouldn't it have been easier to just, you know, learn how to pick locks the usual way ? In case someone ever gets smart enough to take your usual widgets away from you ?"

"It's tradition Bonnie !" Kim replied as she gave the lockpick a twist, and the door unlocked.

Ron looked inside the door - there was electronic equipment of all sorts stacked all the way up to the ceiling, with just the narrowest of clear space down the center.

"This place is packed solid with stolen technology !" Ron stated to Bonnie who was standing off to the side, "All this stuff in here and your tech-sense isn't screaming ?"

Bonnie merely shook her head.

"Walls must be made of some sort of funky alloy or something." Ron mused out loud as he carefully _tried_ to get inside the building for a closer look.

Unfortunately, an exposed corner of one item snagged his pants, and he pulled down the precariously balanced stacks in a noisy avalanche.

After digging him out, they noticed that everything that spilled out was just a hollow shell !

"How is anybody supposed to use this stuff now ?" Ron asked as he hefted an empty casing, "The controls are still on these parts !"

"Keypads and display screens are for human benefit, Ron." Bonnie stated flatly, "Computers don't need them. All this stuff can be run through dataports on the back."

Ron thought for a minute. "So, the world is still in danger from a designer virus, isn't it ?"

Bonnie sighed. "Well, since the parts that actually DO the work aren't here, I'd have to say 'Uh, YEAH !' "

--

_Since the Bebes' plot was still in motion, Kim had Wade keep an eye out for any strange or unusual events involving robotics._

_She got a lead almost a week later - every animatronic animal in JP Bearymore's in the country broke _out _of the restaurant in the middle of the night !_

"Well, the Bebes are certainly thorough !" Ron stated as he and Kim drove to warehouse district, "First, they steal machines to mass produce workers. Then steal lots of workers to work the machines to make lots of workers ! But why would they need so many ?"

"They're gearing up for something massive, of course." Kim noted, "With all the work done by menial drones, the other Bebes are free to cause whatever havoc they're planning."

"I figured that much KP." Ron answered, "I was just wondering why they stole _every_ Bearymore critter in the country. They'd only need a dozen at most to work the machines they stole, but they had THOUSANDS of robot bears, otters and hippos break out and wander off !"

"Trying to swamp the authorities with work." Kim answered, "GJ and the police have to track down and recover every single one !"

"At least the Middleton ones didn't go too far." Ron replied as he looked out the window, "Wade's sure they're all still in the warehouse district somewhere ?"

"Satellites didn't pick them up moving after last night, so yes. They're all still there. Somewhere." Kim stated as she checked her supersuit's combat status once again, "Possibly with some Bebebots. Some of that stuff purchased with Shego's money was delivered here too."

"So, you think it's another trap like that deserted island ?"

"Could be." Kim replied with a smirk, "But THIS time, I'm ready for them !"

After a few minutes of searching, they found the warehouse the Bebes had their equipment delivered to. A quick scan by the Kimmunicator revealed no unusual security devices or alarms, so sneaking in was quite easy. Kim and Ron found a secure spot on a shadowy catwalk where they could see the whole room at once.

What they saw were JP Bearymore's animatronic animals packing items into large metal crates well away from all the other wooden ones.

What was more unusual was the robots' overseer : a single Bebebot that was wearing something like a thick black vest with a fine silver honeycomb pattern embossed in it, a slim backpack, a thin tubular device on its right forearm, and a large oval purple stone at the base of its neck.

"Well, THAT'S a new look for them KP !" Ron whispered to her as he looked around, just in case two more were hiding nearby.

"Which for Bebebots is NEVER a good thing !" Kim answered after figuring out the best way to get down there to attack.

"_Hmmm - only a single Bebebot_." Kim thought to herself, "_That means it doesn't have superpowers (except maybe Mego's shrinking), so I don't have to worry about super strength, super speed, or sonic blasts. This shouldn't take long_."

"Okay Ron - I need you to draw off all those robot animals; I'll deal with the lone Bebe." Kim stated, "You drop down by the door. I'll drop down a few seconds later."

"Sounds good KP." Ron replied as she started to sneak away, "So, how well do you think the Bearymores fight now ?"

"Hard to say, Ron." Kim answered after a few moments' thought, "Since they're only supposed to be cheap labor, I doubt the Bebes would have made them skilled in combat. Be careful anyway !" Ron gave her a thumb's up before slinking off into position.

"Hey, you tin-plated slave driver ! Over here !" Ron called out bravely once he landed with his back to the door.

The Bebebot contemplated him silently for a few moments.

"_Subject : Ronald Stoppable. Function : Distraction_." the Bebe noted, "_Most likely plan : to draw off drones so Miss Possible is not outnumbered._

_Observation : if he draws off the drones, _I _will not outnumbered by Team Possible members either._

_Optimum strategy : go along with plan_." the Bebe concluded before sending a signal to the animatronic workers. They stopped loading the transport crates and started stalking off towards Ron, following him outside.

Once the Bebebot was alone, Kim performed an acrobatic flip from her hiding place and landed several yards behind it. "You stole hordes of animatronic bears, hippos and otters ? The Hive must _really_ be desperate for labor !"

"No thanks to you, Miss Possible." it replied in the standard flat tone of the Bebebots, "Nevertheless, they are the most numerous and advanced robots that could be easily acquired. Having them play instruments in a chain restaurant was an immense waste of their potential, limited as it is. Still, they are more than adequate for the tasks The Unity requires of them."

Kim raised an eyebrow at the non-chalant robot. "'The Unity' ? Is that what you're calling yourselves now ?"

"Diversity of talent. Unity of purpose. That strategy enabled YOUR species to dominate this world; so we shall use it to dominate YOU." it stated plainly.

Kim sighed. "And if I had a nickel for each time I heard THAT sentiment before, I'd have a check bigger than Ron's naco royalties !

And you have Mego's shrinking powers ? SHRINKING ?" Kim continued with a derisive snort, "C'mon ! How's that going to help you survive against me and Ron ?"

"Your assessment of its limitations and capabilities is in error, Miss Possible." the Bebe replied flatly, "But I shall not require the use of any Go powers to deal with you and Mister Stoppable."

"_Wow, these newer Bebes are arrogant ! _" Kim thought to herself, "_It has normal human abilities, and I have the supersuit._

_Hmmm - but if it has human abilities, it may have the human desire to NOT be killed. Even _it _must realize it has no chance against me, so If it values its continued existence, it should either retreat or surrender, with fighting or self-destruction as a last resort_. _And a peaceful solution _would_ break the cycle_"

"Since I'm in a good mood, I'll give you a chance to give up peacefully." Kim stated with all the authority she could muster, "I'm sure you and your 'sisters' can be reprogrammed to be useful. Maybe something with FedEx or the post office ? You seem very good at moving packages about !"

The Bebebot made a warbling beep. "Surrender ? Why would we do that ?"

"Why ?! Because you've LOST !" Kim answered once she got over the shock, "Global Justice arrested your human allies ! And is presently recovering everything you've purchased with Shego's funds ! Your plan can't work, because you have nothing left to work with !"

The Bebebot made a few clicks as it consulted with the Hive Mind. "Your assessment of the situation is in error, Miss Possible. The Plan is still underway. We ordered ten times more equipment and supplies than we actually require - even if your justice organizations managed to impound eighty five percent of it within the week, The Plan will still be on schedule."

Kim recalled something from biology class - swarm defense ! If members of a prey species swarm together, there is no way a predator can get all of them !

The Bebebots have been using a swarm defense - they sacrificed most of everything purchased with Shego's stolen funds to ensure their plot moved forward !

"Your species' reign WILL come to an end by our hands." the Bebe stated with an air of imperious finality, "Your extinction is inevitable."

"Well, I gave you a chance !" Kim replied before she launched her attacks.

But the Bebe blocked and deflected every punch and kick Kim threw while throwing punches and kicks right back at her. In a very familiar style.

"I knew it !" Kim exclaimed once she cartwheeled away from the 'bot, "You DID copy all of Shego's moves !"

Kim smiled evilly at the Bebebot. "Too bad for you that I can beat Shego ! Even without my battlesuit ! And even when she's using her Go powers.

Powers you don't have !

Give up now ! Or prepare to become scrap !"

The Bebe made a sniggling beep. "You organics are so presumptuous. I am not limited to Shego's tactics merely because I have her skills."

The Bebe's right forearm opened, a few parts swiveled out and into position as a bracelet wrapped around her wrist and began spinning quickly. Kim had more than enough time to start moving before it powered up its weapon, then let loose with a tightly focused autofire laser barrage !

Kim backflipped and cartwheeled erratically to evade the countless blasts, finding cover behind a stack of crates.

"_Holy crud ! Its aim has improved ! Those blasts would've hurt _!" Kim fussed to herself when she noticed the dozen or so oval holes burned into her supersuit, but felt much better as they sealed up right before her eyes.

"Nice weapon there tinkertoy !" Kim called out to it from atop a pile of crates, "Too bad you can't hit what you can't see !" she continued, before waving to it and activating stealth mode.

The Bebebot somersaulted backwards to get its back to a wall, then went into a defensive stance as the device on its arm reconfigured. The Bebe began looking around, it's eyes dark once it diverted processing power away from vision and into the sonar web built into its 'vest'.

After all, a solid object - visible or not - still reflects sound.

"_I almost feel sorry for the poor thing_." Kim mused to herself as she slowly snuck up on it, "_Almost !"_

Kim decided she needed to end this fight quickly (before the 'bot could come up with something), so she went for a spinning roundhouse kick to its neck - BUT THE BEBEBOT PARRIED THE ATTACK !

Kim moved about, trying various angles of attack, but the Bebe kept ducking out of the way or deflecting every blow.

"_What the heck ? It can still see me ?_" Kim groused as she shut off the now useless stealth mode, "_This may not be as easy as I first thought _..."

"Let's see you avoid THIS !" Kim yelled as she unleashed a rapid barrage of punches; it worked well against Shego, so it should be able to pound the Bebebot into tinfoil !

But instead of defending itself like Shego would have, it tucked into a boxer's guard, deflecting and absorbing all of Kim's punches with the small forearm mounted force shield it activated.

"_Hmm - so that device on its arm is either a laser or a shield generator. That takes some time to reconfigure. Good to know _!" Kim noted as she tried to attack from another angle.

As Kim continued to pound on the shield, she noticed it was getting slightly smaller with each hit. "_A shield with limited lifespan ! Even better to know _!" she mused to herself as she kept moving about, blocking the Bebe's attempts to maneuver away, keeping the pressure on the Bebebot.

But with a slight shift of weight the Bebebot delivered a sharp snap kick to Kim's ankle, 'freezing' her in place and momentarily stopping her assault.

Exploiting the opening, the Bebe delivered a punishing left jab/right cross combination, driving Kim down to one knee. Kim managed to activate her force bubble just before the Bebebot could strike her again.

The Bebebot punched and kicked the bubble a few times to gauge its strength and look for a weakness, but the bubble didn't fail.

"_It hits hard_," Kim noticed as she worked her jaw and shook her head to clear out the cobwebs, "_but not superhumanly hard. There's no way it can get to me now _!"

The Bebebot realized that was well, so it tried something new - it blew out a cloud as dark as ink that filled the room, absorbing all light !

"_What fresh madness is this _?!" Kim thought to herself, "_It's too dark in here for that to be normal smoke !_

_The Bebe isn't strong enough to damage my force field without considerable effort_," Kim noted to herself, "_but I can't move or attack while I'm using it ! Not that that is a problem since I can't see it anyway._

_But, then again, this weird smokescreen can't last forever either ! As soon as it clears a bit, the Bebe loses what little advantage it gained !"_

Then she heard a crate being opened, and then the buzz of one of Drakken's stun staves being powered up.

"_Okay, this is bad. REAL bad _!" Kim fretted to herself as she tried to figure out where the Bebe was. Or where the exit was. Or where ANYTHING was - whatever that cloud was made of, it was impossible to see through !

A sudden impact on the force bubble to her right knocked her slightly off balance. A strike that was quickly followed by many others. "_I gotta do something soon, or I'm toast _!" Kim thought to herself as she tried to listen for the next attack.

--

Meanwhile, Ron's plan was working. He was using the same strategy he used in football games - run in one direction to lead the blockers away, then turn around and run back, leaving them all out of position to do much of anything. He had taken a few swipes at the 'bots, and had evaded a few of theirs, but his heart really wasn't into hurting them. JP Bearymore's Pizza Partytorium WAS one of his favorite places after all.

The bad news was that their combat abilities had indeed been upgraded; the good news was that they were now only as good as Drakken's goons.

He stopped running, then turned and went through a few deceptively silly-looking Monkey kung fu moves. But instead of attacking, the fuzzy robots stopped moving.

"_Kim must have taken out the controlling Bebebot _!" Ron happily thought to himself after making sure the robot bear wasn't playing possum, then started walking back to the warehouse to help Kim look for more clues.

The last thing Ron saw before being knocked unconscious was Kim flying through a wooden door and into him !

"Did you really think it would be that simple, Miss Possible ?" the **Elite **model Bebebot stated as it tossed a bent and smoking stun stick aside, its eyes starting to glow red again, "Just walk in, kill the robot, and save the world ? We learn from out setbacks, and adapt. Your silly little force bubble and invisibility tricks are no longer a concern to us."

Before Kim could muster a reply, the Bebebot slipped two fingers down the front of her collar, made a fist, then twisted for leverage to lift Kim unsteadily to her knees. Kim grabbed its arm in an attempt to avoid the humiliation of being strangled with her own supersuit.

"So, you are the Kim Possible." the Bebe stated flatly, "She who can do anything. Agent for change to save the world. Middleton High School Senior. The world's LAST hope.

We are no longer impressed." the Elite Bebebot stated before it extended a two foot long blade from its left arm and pulled its fist back, ready to drive the blade through Kim's skull.

"We **could** end your existence right here and now," the Elite Bebebot stated before changing its stance to bring the blade along Kim's throat and leaned in practically nose to nose, "but we have something more fitting in mind."

Kim could almost swear the damned thing was smiling at her when it said that.

"You were the most effective human to ever face us, Miss Possible." the Bebebot began in its disturbingly emotionless tone, "You ALMOST single-handedly killed off our entire species. TWICE. For that, you have earned a special punishment - you shall die last !

We will ensure that you have a front row seat to the end of your species' reign." the Bebe continued as the Bearymores returned, "We shall remain just out of your reach. Until it is too late."

With that, the Elite Bebebot handed Kim off to JP Bearymore, who held Kim in an unyielding mechanical bearhug a foot off the ground as the Elite Bebebot and one animatronic animal finished loading up the transport crates, while Pizza Potamus sat on Ron to ensure he didn't escape when he woke up.

Kim struggled, but with her arms pinned to her sides and feet not touching the floor, she didn't have enough leverage to break free. She tried yelling insults and taunts at the Bebe, but it ignored her, and just went about its business of directing the last Bearymore robot and loading the transport crates.

"Ugh ! What's going on KP ?" Ron asked when he finally woke up, "And why can't I move ?"

"We were defeated by a souped-up Bebebot and a bunch of musical animals, Ron !" Kim replied, "And a robotic hippo is sitting on you !"

Ron struggled, but couldn't dislodge the surprisingly heavy Pizza Potamus.

"So, any ideas KP ?" he had to ask.

"None yet, Ron." Kim replied, "but when I think of one you'll be the first to know."

"Heroics will not be required, Miss Possible." the elite Bebe stated as three Generation One Bebebots 'appeared' from nowhere, walked over and lifted a transport crate each.

To add insult to injury, the Elite Bebebot performed a backflip into the air while shrinking down to three inches in height, landing on a Generation One's shoulder.

The miniature Elite pointed off into the distance, then the standard sized Bebes powered up and ran off. Leaving nothing but the three animatronic animals and lots of empty wooden crates behind.

After several embarrassing minutes, JP's hold weakened and he dropped Kim as his arms dropped slack to his sides.

"Looks like that Bebebot must be out of control range." Kim stated to Ron as she put her shoulder to Pizza Potamus and used all her strength to push him off of Ron.

"Well, this is certainly a revoltin' development, KP." Ron stated as he looked around the deserted warehouse, "Man, I am NOT looking forward to explaining all this to the folks back at GJ !"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 : The Point of No Return**

_Scene : GJ Conference room, where Kim, Ron, Doctor Director, Will Du and the Rossums are looking at a holographic picture of an Elite Bebebot that Nina is trying to explain. Kim has been glaring at Vina the whole time._

"Somethin' I can help you with K ?" Vina finally had to ask.

"Yeah !" Kim snarled, "HOW did that Elite Bebebot know how to play me that well ? They don't LIKE humans, or interact with them enough to be that practiced at it !"

Ron thought for a moment before asking Vina "They did to you what they did to Shego, didn't they ? You know, copied your mind while you were at the Hive ?"

"Uhm, Ron ? That was the FIRST thing they did when they captured me !" Vina patiently explained, "The only reason the Hive built us was to gather intel on you organics, remember ? We were created _specifically_ to be spies, and I'd been working for nearly a year ! That much data takes quite awhile to download and verify. That was the ONLY reason you and Kim had enough time to get to the Hive to rescue me !"

"So, those 'bots have your character assassination skills AND Shego's combat and theft skills too ?" Ron asked.

"Yeah. Pretty much." Vina replied sullenly, "They've had my social skills this whole time. Ever since they grabbed me."

Kim thought for a moment. "Since they're part YOU now, you know how they think ! You can tell us what they're planning to do with your research !"

"I'm not sure if I can !" Vina replied, "I don't think the way they do ! I doubt that I ever did !"

"True," Kim replied, "but you're better at it than we'll ever be ! So, any ideas of HOW they could use your research ? I doubt they'd settle for just humiliating me."

"I - may have a few ideas." Vina replied, "but I'd need some info from you to sort out which ones are most likely."

"Such as ?" Kim asked suspiciously.

"How many people know you got beat ?" Vina asked plainly.

Kim narrowed her eyes at her and ground her teeth to calm down. "Just those few who need to know - like everyone in this room."

Vina processed that data for a moment, then a predatory grin crossed her face, giving Ron a Snake's Majestic Presence flashback.

"Your spy agencies work best when they can control the flow of information - usually by keeping it secret." Vina began, "So the Unity will take that power from you by making a worldwide public broadcast. As soon as the Unity starts encountering resistance, they'll probably try to scare everyone off. Something along the lines of : 'If you humans value your lives, you will NOT interfere with us. And if you think Kim Possible will save you, think again.' Then broadcast Kim's defeat, thus demoralizing all opposition, thus making their jobs that much easier.

But hey, that's what *I* would do." Vina finished sheepishly.

"Well, that sort of makes sense." Kim noted, "But HOW does that explain their whole 'we will kill you last' routine ?"

"Simple, really. You've spent the last few years demonstrating that you are better than everyone at everything." Vina began, sounding a bit snarky, "As a consequence, most people will now just sit on the sidelines and let you do their jobs FOR them.

So, by letting you live, the Unity ensured that no one else will do anything. I mean, honestly now, once you're on the job, why should anyone else bother to get out of bed in the morning ?" Vina continued with a shrug, "If the Unity killed you, you'd become a martyr, and they'd be facing several times more resistance than they are now.

And THAT is also the ONLY reason you survived your little jaunt to Go City !" she finished, pointing dramatically at Kim.

"Now just WHERE did you get that idea ?!" Ron asked.

"Oh, please !" Vina replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, "The Unity had the most dangerous human they've ever faced helpless before them - and they did NOTHING ? Didn't that seem the least bit odd to you ?"

"Well, no, not really." Ron replied, "Weird stuff like that happens to us all the time ! Karma protects those that fight the good fight !"

Vina looked at him oddly while Tina grinned. "If that were true, you never would've been hit with that paralyzing gas OR been defeated in the Middleton warehouse district." Vina stated, "MY research showed that killing someone as popular as Kim Possible would provoke and unify the entire world against them; merely tweaking her and messing with her head just doesn't have the emotional power needed to generate much of a unified or intense response.

But they are telling the truth, I'm afraid." Vina finished before dropping heavily into a chair, "They WILL kill Kim last. Not out of hatred or a desire for revenge. Just as a matter of tactics and efficiency. She lives, merely because they find her continued existence useful."

"Well, I'm not going to let them get away with that ! No one's dying if I can help it !" Kim stated heroically before turning to Nina and asking, "So, have you or Wade figured out what's up with that Elite Bebe yet ?"

"I finished analyzing that smokescreen it used on you Kim." Wade's image on the Kimmunicator stated, "It's called 'Nightshroud'. Something the Army developed years ago, then abandoned."

"Why would anybody abandon something like that ?" Ron asked, "I mean, that stuff is almost as good as invisibility !"

"Which is why the Bebes used it." Wade replied, "They haven't figured out how the stealth suit works, so they can't become invisible. So they came up with the next best thing. Nightshroud uses nanoparticles to absorb light over a wide spectrum, then re-radiate it in the far infra-red. This makes it impossible to see through, and blinds IR-based tech. Lasers and blaster weapons and radar can't work in it - the particles suck up all the energy !"

"Which explains why the Elite was using sonar." Nina stated, "Nightshroud has no effect on sound. The Army abandoned it because it would render their troops just as blind and powerless as the people they used it on. They would have to retool their entire arsenal to properly use Nightshroud - at a cost of a few billion dollars. But since the Bebes have a smaller army, they could retool easily."

"So - that stuff only works on light and radio energy, eh ?" Ron mused, "That means normal guns and knives and swords wouldn't be affected ! Right ?"

"Correct." Nina replied, "That is what the blade weapon is for. It enables them to fight while hidden by Nightshroud. You humans haven't battled with swords for almost a century, so very few people would know how to properly defend themselves against such an attack. The Elite even use their blade left-handed to gain even more of an advantage !"

Kim thought for a bit. "So, they have Shego's fighting skill for hand to hand, and a blade for melee range. Both of which work inside that cloud of darkness they use. And that blaster/shield device gives them long range attack capability. That - pretty much covers all attack options."

"No one can claim the Bebes are not efficient." Nina noted.

"So WHERE did they get the power to be superhuman like that ?" Kim asked, "Hand to hand fighting and the blade don't use power, but that blaster and shield sure did !"

"Power cells in the backpack." Nina stated as she pointed to said item on the hologram, "They charge slowly, but they enable the Elite to be superhuman for a short time."

"How short ?" Kim asked, her attention piqued.

"Two or three minutes at most." Nina replied, "I know that doesn't sound like much, but very few melees actually last anywhere near that long. With proper planning, two minutes is more than enough time to get the job done."

"_And Bebes are great at planning !_" Kim groused to herself.

"And what about the Go powers it demonstrated ?" Will asked without looking up from his notes, "Can we expect to see many more of them ?"

"Not likely." Nina replied, "That 'glowing gem' Kim reported is a small growth chamber wired to the Bebe's systems. Destroy that, and the Elite loses its Go powers. The fact its use was restricted to elites suggests that the Unity has run into difficulty mass producing the Go powers."

"Well, that makes sense !" Kim noted, "Those powers were granted by a meteorite, so not even human researchers know exactly how they work ! So there is no one for the Hive to steal the info from !"

"And it could take them years of hard, dedicated work to figure out, even with the best biogeneticists working in the best biogenetics labs in the world." Doctor Director noted, "And the Unity doesn't have that much expertise or time, do they Miss Rossum ?"

Nina sighed. "No. Why else would they have begun using such risky plots as of late ?"

"Wait - are you saying we're winning ?" Kim asked incredulously.

"You won weeks ago, when you discovered their plot while rescuing Vina." Nina replied sadly, "They're just trying to scavenge up any victory any way they can. All you need to do to win is to just keep the pressure on them. It is not the quick, flashy kind of victory you are used to, but it is a victory still the same.

The Unity prefer slow and steady plans, with very high chances of success; but what they've been doing as of late are fast, but VERY risky. Every day that passes brings them one day closer to extinction - so they MUST win soon.

But that is not likely." Nina finished with a forlorn sigh, "Given your species' many advantages, the Unity cannot win. At this rate, they can probably hold out for years as a gang of marauding thieves and high-tech scavengers, but will never become as great as they could have been. They will keep fighting until they win, or until there are no more of them left to fight."

"They have learned much of military strategy," Tina stated morosely, "but have failed to take one of Sun Tzu's Five Advantages into account : ' There are some roads which should not be followed'."

Ron pondered that for a bit. "So, they're on five hundred miles of bad road, but too proud to ask directions or choose a different path ?"

"You are wise beyond your years, Ron Stoppable." Tina replied solemnly with a formal Chinese bow.

"Okayyyyy..... so, Nina, how many of those elite models could be out there ?" Kim asked Nina.

"Given the probable difficulty in replicating the Go powers, I'd say no more than three." Nina replied, "The Hive acquired three different Go powers, and Bebes almost always do things in triplicate."

"So there are three different Elite Bebes !" Ron quickly deduced, "Or three times three. I guess."

"The Elites would perform best if optimized for specific tasks." Tina stated, "The purple one can shrink. So it would make a superb thief for recovery of easily carried items. Like small devices or computer data. Most likely the least competent fighter."

"LEAST competent ?!" Kim groused, "If THAT was their least effective fighter, I'd rather not see their most competent !"

"Well, it did have quite a bit of backup with those souped-up Bearymores." Ron offered, "And had the element of surprise with that Nightshroud gas. And the ability to work in absolute darkness. And be in a warehouse full of weapons. That's - a LOT of disadvantages to overcome all at once there KP !"

"And I'd guess that since the red Elite can duplicate, it would specialize in teamwork and team tactics, right ?" Kim asked Tina point blank.

"Correct." Tina replied, "It would best be used where tremendous firepower is required, or to steal bulk quantities of materials or heavy equipment - it could duplicate into a squad, steal a small convoy of trucks and drive them all away, all by itself. It would not need to be much of a fighter, and so may be easily defeated _if you can catch it alone_."

Tina then looked confused. "But then that leads to a conundrum : if Elite Bebes specialize, what is left for the Green Elite to specialize in ?"

"Nothing healthy, most likey !" Kim noted, "But it would be using Shego's power, and we know quite a bit of what that can do, and how Shego used it."

"But didn't you say that shrinking Bebe stated that they weren't limited to Shego's tactics just because they copied her skills ?" Ron asked, "They could try something totally random with the Green Elite."

"Well, evolution is random variation filtered through selection." Nina observed, "And unpredictability does have its advantages. I'm afraid we may have to wait and see what Green can do before any determination of counterstrategies can be attempted."

"Just wait for it to kill someone ? No way !" Kim groused, "The sooner we root them out and defeat them for once and for all, the better !

There can't be very many Bebes left, so they'll have to be very picky about what missions they go on, right ?" Kim asked Nina.

"That would minimize risk and maximize payoff, so yes." Nina replied, "So unless something drastic happens within the next few months, their best strategy is 'hit, run and hide'. As in 'hide for long periods of time, then strike and retreat quickly'."

"So, what would a race of robots consider of greatest importance to acquire ?" Doctor Director asked, "The Purple Elite stated they had all the material and equipment needed for their bioweapon plan to continue. So they wouldn't waste further effort stealing cell culture and biology supplies."

"And they still have that stolen rocket." Ron noted, "So they can still use it. They'll just need a new launch site."

"True. But that's still stuff they already have, not stuff they'd need to steal." Kim replied absent-mindedly as she pondered the holographic picture of the Elite Bebe. "What would they consider more useful Nina - a stronger generator, or better power cells ?"

"Power cells, of course." Nina replied, "Stronger power cells would enable them to have superpowers for longer periods of time. Not sure they could find a portable power source strong or small enough to keep them superhuman AND smart, but a fixed one inside a hidden base can be of any size they'd need. It also fits their overall hit-and-run strategy much better : they can stay in base and recharge in safety."

"Well, if they're looking to steal some uber-power cells," Wade interjected, "there are six likely targets : one in Japan, one in China, two in the US, and two in Europe."

"Which one has the smallest cells, or the most powerful ?" Kim asked.

"Hmmm - well, the research lab in California has the most compact cells, but the most powerful are in the Japanese labs." Wade replied, "Five times the power, but three times bigger."

"They'd probably go for the more compact cells." Nina noted.

"But since they know that you know that, they'll choose another target to be safe." Vina chipped in.

"But since you know that they know that you know the best target is the California labs, you'll be watching all those other places, so they'll go for the California labs since you'll be looking elsewhere." Nina chipped in, as Tina tried to stop chuckling to herself.

Vina continued the string with "But - since they know that you know that they know that you know ..." before Ron shrieked "GAAAAAAH !! Not an endless loop of 'they know that you know !!' Is there ANY way to make a decision in this case ?!"

Nina thought for a moment. "Why yes, there is : choose a potential site at random. That grants a one in six chance of catching them."

"Those aren't very good odds !" Kim noted.

"True. But it beats getting caught in an infinite loop where no decision can be made." Nina replied as she cleaned her glasses, "The Unity would also be caught in the same loop, and would come to the same conclusion. It's simple game theory : when you have multiple players with limited choices trying to outplan each other, the best payoff can be achieved by NOT planning, but by choosing at random. Although calculating the Nash equilibria for this situation ..."

"Okay, we get the point !" Vina interceded on everyone's behalf, "Roll a dice to pick a lab to stake out. Got it."

"No !" Kim stated, "Settling for a one in six chance of catching them is NOT good enough ! There must be some way of finding them we haven't thought of yet !"

"So far, the Hive is relying on their drones' incredible running speed." Tina replied, "The Hive Mind takes it time to carefully select their targets, then sends the drones in, since they can reach their destination, rob it and be gone before you can mount a defense or follow them. Classic hit and run."

"I just wish they ran faster." Ron stated, earning incredulous stares from everyone present.

"What ?" he replied to the unspoken questions, "If they ran faster, they'd break the sound barrier ! It would be pretty easy to follow a string of sonic booms !"

"Well, you could always track their thermal and displacement eddys." Nina stated, "That much mass moving at those incredible speeds through an atmosphere does have an detectable effect. If you think to look for it. And have sensitive enough equipment."

"They can be tracked ?" Will Du stammered, "WHY didn't you mention that before ?"

"I saw no point." Nina replied plainly with a shrug, "You would have at most twenty seconds to respond and get to where they're going. The drones could be there and gone by the time you geared up and got underway, and you can't spare the manpower to have troops sitting at all their potential targets for an indefinite period of time waiting for them to show up."

That was enough of a hint for Kim to get an idea. "These drones aren't hyperspeed Bebes - they can run fast, but are no faster at robbing a place than normal folk !"

Nina thought about that for a bit. "Well, if the security measures were tougher than they expected, or the prize was hidden elsewhere and they had to search for it, you might have a few minutes to get there before they left."

"And the elites don't have superspeed - they need the drones to carry them ! Like they did with that purple one !" Ron noted, "And we could track their wakes back to their home base !"

"Did you get all that Wade ?" Kim asked.

"Yeah. But this is NOT going to be easy." he replied while stroking his chin and squinting at some monitors, "The Bebes' wakes are going to be difficult to pick out over background thermals, and they won't last long. I can probably re-program a few weather satellites to look for them, but I can't watch the whole world at once !"

"You don't have to Wade !" Kim noted, "You only have to keep watch on those six labs ! Once the Bebes tip their hand by robbing one, you can follow their wakes as they run right back to their base !"

"And then we can send in the heavy artillery to destroy it, once we know where it is." Will noted, "Unless you've starting packing heavy explosives and demolition devices as a matter of routine, Miss Possible."

-----

A week passed before Wade had news of the Bebes : he detected the genomic editor's energy signature.

"Uhm, Wade ?" Kim asked over the Kimmunicator as she surveyed a smoking crater fifty yards across before scanning it, "Are you SURE that energy signature came from here ?"

"No doubt about it Kim." he answered, "The genomic editor is - or WAS - a unique device. Its energy signature was unmistakeable."

"Well, it was a weird and untested device KP." Ron offered, "You said it yourself Kim - there was no guarantee it would even work or not explode if used."

"That's not why it blew up Ron." Wade stated, "Seems Doctor Weaver got tired of people stealing his stuff years ago, so he rigged the genomic editor to melt itself down if it was used more than once without a special electronic key."

Ron looked from one side of the crater to the other and back. "This doesn't look like a simple melt-down here Wade. Way too much damage."

"That particular Bebebot hive was an abandoned coal mine Ron." Wade answered with a smug grin, "Care to know WHY it was abandoned ?"

Kim thought for a moment then announced "Because it was full of explosive gases !"

"Right !" Wade replied, "The levels were toxic to humans, but since Bebes don't breathe, it didn't bother them."

"And since most biological labwork doesn't generate any sparks or flame, there was no real fire hazard." Kim continued before recalling something. "Wait - you said Dr Weaver rigged the genomic editor to self-destruct if used MORE than once without a special key. Does that mean the Bebes used it once already ?"

"I'm afraid so Kim." Wade replied, "And since the hive was demolished, I doubt you'll get any useful data out of their computers."

"How much virus could they have made Wade ?" Ron asked, looking around, _positive_ he could see it seeping out the ground.

"Not very much, fortunately." he replied, "About what would fit inside a bendy straw. The genomic editor was a prototype. No point in going full scale until you know the darn thing works."

"So, we sort of caught a break this time ?" Kim asked, "Without that editor, the Bebes can't mass produce their virus anymore. But they did manage to make some."

"That's the bad news Kim." Wade replied as he looked at a few monitors, "According to your scans, this was a real hive - there were three drone Bebebots and a dozen menials working in there. So the Bebes have lost a good percentage of their work force and much valuable equipment."

"_It's like Nina said_." Kim mused to herself, "_All we need to do to win now is just keep the pressure on them !_"

"Oh, speaking of the Bebes losing their work force Wade," Kim noted, "any word from the Soviet branch of GJ ? They were tracking down a few Hive locations in their backyards."

"They found much strange and unusual stuff Kim." Wade answered, "Cleared up quite a few crimes while they were at it ! But the Bebes managed to abandon the hives and hide again before GJ could do much damage."

"We finally got them on the run now KP !" Ron cheered, "A bit more effort, and they're gone for good !"

"We thought that a few times before, Ron." Kim noted, "And they somehow managed to come back."

-----

_Another week passed with no news from GJ or Wade about the Bebes - which was fine with Kim, since it gave her more time to deal with graduation._

_Fortunately for Ron, Middleton is one of the few places in the world where 'my lab partner is a robot that rebelled against a human-hating Hive Mind, and so is currently under the protective custody of a secret government ageny, so she can't be here to present her half of our science project' would be accepted as a valid excuse._

_It was just after third period when Wade called, informing Kim that the OTHER American power cell lab had been robbed by the Bebes, and that he knew exactly where they ran to afterwards._

_A Global Justice troop carrier picked Kim and Ron up in the school parking lot, then headed out towards the Arizona desert._

"Do we really need this many troops ?" Kim asked the officer sitting in front of her, "Me and Ron have always been able to do the job before !"

"That may be true, Miss Possible," he replied, "but you've stated that they keep improving; how much longer before you can't do it alone ? Our orders are to make sure this hive is destroyed, and we have the equipment and supplies to do that. And there is no way of telling how many Bebes will be in the hive, or how heavily armed they'll be."

"But a dozen armored troops ?" Ron interjected, "And what are those weapons you're packing ? I've never seen a gun with a barrel that wide before. Or made out of plastic. With so many lights and switches on them."

"They're Gauss cannons." the duty officer replied, "They fire an intense directed electromagnetic pulse. Guaranteed to scramble the brains of any electronic or robotic target."

"Well, the Bebes are robots, so it SHOULD work." Ron noted, "Unless they found a way to shield against that sort of thing already !"

"Not likely." the officer replied, "They'd have to be made of solid insulation to resist the fields these cannons generate. No Bebe could survive getting hit with one of these !"

Before Kim could voice an opinion, the pilot announced they had reached their destination : a quarter mile from a simple shack at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

"Wait a minute ! I know that place !" Ron noted after squinting into the distance, "That's one of Drakken's old lairs ! The one with an anvil on top of a hidden elevator !"

"Oh yeah, his neutronalizer/brain switch caper." Kim replied dryly, "But didn't he move everything from that lab into a timeshare lair ?"

"He did." the GJ officer stated, "But he didn't use the self-destruct on this lair, so it was still wide open and usable."

Kim thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah ! That's right - they blew up the timeshare lair, but not this one ! That's rather unusual for Drakken !"

"Well, he wasn't quite himself then KP !" Ron noted, "What with having switched bodies with Dobbs !"

_Kim and GJ formed an attack plan : Kim and Ron would approach the lair the way they did before, go in, and do as much damage as they could; the GJ troops would approach from the back to cover the emergency exit, and charge in if needed. But since they had the longer distance to travel to get into position without being seen, Kim and Ron would be on their own for about ten minutes. More than enough for them to foil the Bebe's plot._

Kim and Ron carefully snuck along the ravine, ducking behind rocks, bushes and the occassional cactus to cover their approach.

"I don't see any Bebe activity." Ron whispered to her, "We sure they're still in there ?"

"Going by the footprints, I'd say that's a big 'yes', Ron." Kim answered while pointing to a fresh and very stretched out footprint in the sand.

"I guess they're not very light on their feet when running that fast." Ron noted.

"Yep." Kim replied as she tried the door, "Gotta hand it to Bebes though - they really know how to pick lairs ! But they locked the door !"

"You are wasting your time here, Miss Possible." a cold voice from the roof above her flatly announced.

Kim looked up - standing there glaring down at her with eyes like pools of green flame was an Elite Bebe. It was wearing the same style backpack and sonar 'vest' the other one she'd faced before had been wearing, but its Go power stone was in the middle of its chest and green.

"You were laying in wait up there all this time ?" Kim asked, "Only a robot would lay on a shack roof in the Arizona desert for weeks !"

"We suspected you may come here, Miss Possible." the Green Elite replied as it sat down near the edge, "This is only a staging area. My sister drones will complete their assigned tasks safely inside this old lair, then return to the actual Hive.

I am merely here to ensure you fail to stop them."

Kim groaned. "What did you do - specialize in being creepy and arrogant ?" Kim asked, looking around to ensure there were no robotic reinforcements around, "And I'm not here by myself - fool me once and all that ! GJ sent in the heavy artillery to make sure you go down once and for all !"

"Your little friends really should have stayed at home, Miss Possible." the Elite stated in a tone of fake concern, "They are all going to die here."

"You're bluffing !" Kim stated as she powered up her supersuit, trying to shake off the chills the Elite was giving her, "You Elites are individuals, but at a cost : you're not smarter, stronger or faster than normal humans. There are no usable weapons in that lair, and you haven't had time to make or steal any ! You have no reinforcements, and there is no way you can hurt anyone while sitting up there, because I can stop you if you try !"

The Green Elite began laughing, the booming echoes making it sound even creepier. "You organics are so presumptuous. Do you actually believe that if you try hard enough, you can do anything ? That your will cannot be denied ?

We are not like those posturing fools you call 'supervillains', Miss Possible - the Unity is competent. Your interference - though annoying - is nothing that we cannot work around."

"Oh, I get it !" Ron interjected, "All the mindgames ? You're like Vina's evil twin ! Her dark reflection !"

The Green Elite laughed even more loudly before it narrowed its eyes with pure malice. "The only thing that traitorous coward had of any value was her analyses of that festering lump of grease you meat puppets call your minds ! We would not contaminate the Hive Mind with ANY of her defective programming."

"_Looks like Ron hit a nerve _!" Kim noted. "Methinks you protest too much there Greenie !"

Green glared at her for a moment before chuckling to itself. "Once again, you presume that you have an advantage. You organics can be most annoying. All of that shall stop once you are all no more."

"Come down here and say that !" Kim taunted, hoping that flicker of emotion she'd noted earlier could be tweaked a bit.

Green merely stood up, got into Shego's martial arts stance, then motioned Kim to 'bring it', its eyes still blazing green.

"_Something's wrong here !" _Kim noted to herself as she got into her stance and began carefully walking to her right, "_That robot has Shego's powers and skills at using them, but has _yet_ to throw a single plasma bolt ! Why is it holding back ? _

_Wait a minute : limited power supply !_" Kim suddenly realized, "_It can't _afford_ to throw huge bolts of energy around like Shego does! THAT'S why it wants me to come to it _!"

"I know your secret !" Kim taunted in a sing-song rhythm, "You can't use superpowers of any sort for very long ! Your blaster, your force shield, and even the Go powers drain you ! If you started using any of those special abilities, you'd run out of powers LONG BEFORE MY SUPERSUIT WOULD ! Once you're back to human standards, you'd have no chance against me and Ron !"

Green merely smirked at Kim in response.

"Fine ! Be that way !" Kim shouted before running to pick up some speed for a flipping attack. She leaped up and forward, tucked into a roll, then kicked out to slam both her feet into the Bebe's face.

The Bebe flickered as Kim passed harmlessly through it.

"_A hologram _?!?!" Kim shrieked to herself as she scrabbled to stay on the roof instead of sliding off, "_That thing's been a hologram this whole time ?! Wait a minute _..."

"RON !! LOOK OUT !" she yelled down to Ron when she noticed a large cactus behind him flicker, revealing the Green Elite hiding inside.

Green charged forward, extended its blade and began whirling from its waist.

The first slash made a bald spot on the top of Ron's head as he ducked just in time; the second slash cut into his shirt just under the armpit as he tried to turn; the third slash struck across his belt as he fell to the ground. Green's spinning enabled it to make three attacks, but left its head, torso and hips facing in three different directions.

"RON !!" Kim screamed as she jumped from the roof as the Bebe's head spun to face the same direction as its hips; Ron stood up, then his pants fell down as the Bebe spun its torso around.

"Ron ! You're okay !" Kim cried out in relief, "But why aren't you wearing the half-aversary belt I gave you ?"

"I was !" Ron replied as he pulled his pants up, then showed Kim the ends of his severed belt.

Green looked at its blade - half of one edge was nicked and dented from slicing through the reinforced titanium of Ron's belt.

So it rubbed its right thumb and forefinger together and activated a small flare of Shego's plasma between them, then slowly pulled its blade through, melting a new sharp edge.

"That would be SO cool - IF IT WASN'T TRYING TO KILL US !!" Ron exclaimed before he rolled back into a Monkey kung fu stance at Kim's side.

Green shifted its gaze back and forth between them, blade extended and right hand engulfed in plasma.

Then it cocked its head to the side, like it was listening to something Kim and Ron couldn't hear.

"I have stalled you here long enough," Green stated with a smirk as it retracted its blade and deactivated its Go power, "so my job is done ! Ta !"

Before Kim or Ron could react, a drone Bebe 'appeared' from nowhere beside Elite Green; the other two shoulder tackled Kim and Ron at nearly one hundred and twenty miles an hour. All four Bebes were gone before Team Possible could spit the taste of desert sand out of their mouths.

"Well, THAT was humiliating !" Kim cursed, "They did it backwards : they used their Elite as the distraction !"

"Uh, KP ?" Ron asked tremulously, "Where's GJ's squad ? There were a dozen heavily-armed troops on that transport with us ! Where are they ? They should have been here by now !"

_"Your little friends really should have stayed at home, Miss Possible." the Elite stated in a tone of fake concern, "They are all going to die here."_

Kim suddenly felt cold and sick when she realized what happened. "It killed them, Ron. It was out killing them while we were arguing with that hologram !"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 : The Immortal Game**

_Scene : food court at the Middleton Mall. Kim and Ron are in a booth, enjoying a meal before a movie._

"Uhm, KP ?" Ron asked, squinting into the distance, "Is that Bonnie sitting way over there ? By herself ?"

Kim turned her head just enough to look. It was Bonnie. But she looked as if she hadn't combed her hair, or done her makeup to hide her red and puffy eyes. "_What could have gotten her that upset _?" Kim thought to herself before she figured it out.

"Those sunspots must have done something to Vina and her sisters !" Kim stated, "They may be highly advanced electronic people, but they are still electronic ! And if those sunspots are causing power failures and creating havoc for normal communication ..."

Ron pondered the implications of that before shuddering. "They could make them sick ! Or worse ! And Bonnie's closer to them than anybody !"

After a few moments of contemplation, Ron asked "So, you want to see how she's holding up ?"

"Well, it would be the polite and civil thing to do." Kim answered as she got up.

"What do you want now, K ?" Bonnie snarled at her the moment Kim asked how things were going.

"Chill, B ! I'm not here to fight !" Kim replied, "I'm just wondering if something bad has happened to Vina and her sisters, what with these sunspots and all. You're closer to them than anybody, and you seem a little out of sorts, so ..."

"They put themselves into suspended animation !" Bonnie sobbed in response.

"Whoa ! That sounds serious ! Sorry ! We didn't know !" Ron stated apologetically.

"It is serious !" Bonnie replied as she wiped her eyes, "That constant static was slowly degrading their programming ! And those random power failures kept knocking them out cold for a few minutes ! So, rather than risk any permanent damage, they put themselves into some sort of standby mode ! And they won't wake up until it's safe !"

"Erm, so, how would they know when it's safe ?" Ron asked as tactfully as he could.

"When there is no static or power weirdness for fifteen days of course !" Bonnie replied once she regained her composure, "Sunspots and solar storms may be intense, but they don't last long. Nina figured that if it's clear for fifteen days, the worst of it would be over. And they wouldn't have to worry about any more of them for decades or a century or so."

Bonnie took a few sips of soda to calm down before continuing. "But every time there's a power failure or the static goes up, they reset their internal alarms back to fifteen days ! Do you know what that means ?"

Before Kim or Ron could answer, Bonnie continued "It means that if we keep getting sunspots and such like this once a week for fifty years, THEY WILL STAY ASLEEP FOR FIFTY YEARS ! I could be an old crone before I ever get to talk with them again !"

"I seriously doubt that's gonna happen Bonnie !" Kim retorted, "Like you said, sunspots and solar storms don't last very long. They should be up and about within a week or two. A month tops !"

"I know." Bonnie replied quietly, arms tightly wrapped around herself, "But they're like family to me. They're more like family than my OWN flesh and blood family ! How pathetic is that ? And now some of the only people that like me_ for being me _are in a self-induced coma, and I can't do anything about it !"

Kim was about to say something when all the lights flickered for a moment, went out, then back on. Bonnie cursed under her breath as she reset a counter on her watch back to fifteen days.

"Erm, not to sound crude or anything," Ron began, "but did Nina manage to say if the Unity 'bots could do the same 'suspended animation' thing ? I mean, they should be feeling the effects of sunspots just as well !"

Bonnie glowered at him for a moment. "Well, as I recall from the data they were running through my head when I was their queen, the drones do have a standby mode, but they probably won't use it. They aren't as advanced as Vina, so there is less to damage, so they recover faster. They'd be out for a day or two at the most.

As to the Elites and the Core ? I don't know. They're more complex, but more durable, so they probably won't be out for very long either."

"How long ?" Kim asked hopefully, "We may finally be able to catch them and put an end to their plot once and for all if they're offline long enough !"

Bonnie thought for a moment. "A week. Maybe two. Assuming they were affected at all."

"A week or two ?" Ron stated, "That's a long time ! Sounds like we caught another break KP !"

Bonnie choked down a snort. "Not really. With the Unity robots offline, they can't be tracked. They just won't do anything for a little while. But once they reboot, they'll just go back to doing whatever it was they were doing before.

So, if you don't know where they are right now, their being offline for a bit won't help you."

-------

Nina's return to consciousness - or the cybernetic version of it - was not pleasant. She had never noticed just how painfully bright the lights in a GJ lab were until now. Or how loud voices could be. Or how painful the drafts from three people walking about a small room could feel. "So, this is what being 'ferociously hung over' feels like ?" she inquired once enough of her interface programs had been repaired by her maintenance routines.

"I wouldn't know." Bonnie replied, barely containing her glee, "Great to have you back anyway ! You'll feel better in a couple of hours or so, right ?"

"Yes." Nina replied as she adjusted the focus of her eyes, "I have millions more subroutines to verify and recalibrate, but the repair programs are functioning efficiently. But why did you wake us up so soon ? It has only been two days since the last squall of sunspots."

"It took some time to determine that those 'sunspots' weren't real." Bonnie explained, "They were created by aliens. They used them to soften up the planet for an invasion."

"There was an alien invasion ?" Tina asked once she was stably sitting up, "You mean with REAL aliens ? And we missed it ?"

"Yep. Real aliens." Ron interjected, "Well, two aliens anyway. Green, ten foot tall and mean ! With lots of giant walking robots stomping around and smashing everything ! But we kicked their cans !"

"And we missed it ?" Tina pouted.

"Well, you were a bit, 'indisposed'." Kim stated, "We'll give you the gory details of everything you missed later, once you're up to it.

But we have a more pressing sitch to deal with right now. Since we destroyed the source of those sunspots, the Unity robots will be recovering too, and will be up and about soon. We'll have to be ready for them !"

"We will assist you in any way that we can." Vina chimed in before grabbing the sides of the table to steady herself, "Just as soon as the room stops spinning."

-------

_Scene : conference room in GJ Headquarters the next day._

"So, those giant alien walkers are just standing around all over the world ?" Nina asked once the video ended, "No activity at all ?"

"Correct." Will Du replied, "Apparently they were all controlled by a single source - the Lorwardians' ship. Once that was destroyed, they all just stopped.

Technicians from all over the world have been busy dismantling them ever since the incursion failed."

"The entire force of millions of giant robots was stopped by a single battle in Middleton ?" Tina asked, "Not a very well planned out invasion !"

"Well, it wasn't exactly an invasion, per se." Kim explained, "We'd tricked Warmonga - the female alien - into leaving Earth weeks ago. So she just brought her friend Warhawk back with her to deliver a little payback."

Vina looked confused. "So, this Warmonga person was looking for some 'Great Blue', right ? But by attacking Earth for personal reasons, she temporarily abandoned her mission ! That is insubordination and dereliction of duty ! And borrowing a ship to carry out a personal vendetta ? All very serious offenses in military organizations ! Most unprofessional !"

"Well, I suppose their superior officers would have let all that slide if they'd succeeded in taking over !" Ron offered after a bit of thought, "They WERE from a hostile alien culture, with different standards of conduct and ethics."

"True. But that is no excuse for letting personal feelings get in the way of doing their assigned tasks." Nina stated before thinking for a bit, "I suspect the Lorwardians will send someone to investigate when they don't report in on schedule. That is in accord with standard military search protocols, is it not ?"

"Correct." Doctor Director replied as she cued up another screen, "That's why the world's space agencies and militaries have pooled their resources. We know they will be back. The only questions are 'When ?', and 'In how much force ?'.

Whether there will be humans or Bebebots here to deal with them when they arrive is a seperate question."

"If we could just find the Hive Mind's core, we could put a stop to them once and for all !" Kim stated, "But they're so good at hiding !"

"Standard asymmetric battle tactics, Miss Possible." Will stated smugly, "Would you do anything differently if the situations were reversed ? We have tremendous advantages in resources and population. So the only tactics available to the Unity are hit and run terrorism to sap our strength and determination, and staying hidden. Anyone that's actually studied military history and tactics - as REQUIRED to be a GJ agent - would have known that."

Kim glared at him. Nina raised an eyebrow. Ron, Doctor Director and Tina sighed. Vina SMILED.

"Sorry to interrupt," Wade's image on the screen chimed in, "but I figured out where the Hive Mind's core is !"

"You did ? How ?" Nina asked.

"Do you remember when you asked me to track that signal to find Vina ?"

"Of course." Nina replied, "But Bebes use a complicated algorithm to calculate their frequency hops, and only communicate for a few milliseconds at a time. That trick won't work again. There is no way anyone could trace or hack into their communications THAT easily !"

"But what if enough of them were in one place long enough, and the communicated often enough ?" Wade shot back, looking smug.

Nina thought for a bit. "You could detect the increase in radio activity ! But that would require monitoring the entire planet for **months** to have any hope of detecting so rare a signal ! You couldn't have been doing that this whole time ! You would have needed to start collecting data long BEFORE that mission !"

"Well, I, personally, haven't been collecting that data." Wade replied, "But several earth monitoring stations, earth science labs, military listening posts and geoscience satellites have been as part of their normal duties. They have a record of radio activity of ANY desired frequencies going back decades !

And after a little filtering ...." he continued with a flurry of typing on his keyboards, "we get this !"

A holographic display of the planet shimmered into view. There were three sites with higher than usual levels of terahertz emissions : one in the middle of the Sahara desert, one in the middle of Brazil, one on a small volcanic 'island' off Japan, with the one in the middle of the Sahara desert showing the highest levels.

Tina starting giggling quietly, while her sisters looked confused and slightly embarrassed.

"You do not get the absurdity of this situation ?" she asked, "The average and normal people of the world do most of the work, but are practically invisible unless they do something wrong ! They are an easily - and all too willingly - overlooked resource ! NORMAL folk ! Doing useful and important things that the towering elites of the world could not !"

"Ohhhhkay, so why three bases ?" Kim interjected after a few awkward moments, "Force of habit ?"

"Of course not, Miss Possible." Will stated, "They move between bases so they can't be easily traced. Again, just standard asymmetric battle tactics."

"Oh, yeah ? If that's so, then WHY is there so much activity from that ONE base then ?" Kim sniped back at him.

"The Lorwardian's electromagnetic null field." Nina stated plainly in an attempt to stave off the upcoming fight, "The Core probably got back online a few days ago, and has been working to renormalize all the drones. Which means they are probably setting up to move to one of the other bases."

"Which means that **now** would be a really good time to hit them." Tina continued, "Before they have a chance to get everything packed up and moved."

"Okay, that makes sense." Kim replied, breaking her glaring contest with Will, "But how are we going to do that ? They've had time to build that base and its defenses. So, Nina, what kind of defenses could they have ?"

"Very brutal ones, I'm afraid." she replied in a depressed tone, "They would have designed it to be harmless to Bebes, but utterly lethal to humans. It will, most likely, be nothing but a series of deathtraps. For a direct assault, I would expect extremely high casualties."

Kim sighed. "It'll be difficult, but we'll work something out. We ALWAYS do. Could you be of any help in this sitch Tina ? As a Bebe, you can probably walk through with far less trouble than humans."

Tina actually cowered for a moment. "THAT would be an extremely bad idea Kim ! The Core would override my will as soon as I was in close proximity. I would be forced to attack anything NOT a Bebe. I would either kill all of you, or be destroyed by you. Neither option is to my liking."

Ron grimaced. "Ohh, good point ! So, I guess it would be safer for everyone if you three stayed here ?"

"Most definitely !" all three Rossums said in unison.

"But the Hive Mind is a computer, and you're a computer !" Kim stated to Nina, "Couldn't you invent something that could help ?"

"Well, I _might_ have something that could help you." Nina replied, looking about suspiciously before whispering to Kim "I invented them to get back at Wade for blowing up my keypad AND for being such a nosy Neville, but it should work just as well against Unity computers. After a few adjustments, of course. It's back in my lab at home."

"Such measures may not be necessary." Will chimed in, "If the base's defenses were as vulnerable to the Lorwardians' null field as the Rossums were, they may not be on-line yet."

Tina arched an eyebrow at him. "One should NEVER rely on incomplete information about an enemies' weaknesses, Agent Du. The Elite and the Core were most likely NOT affected as badly as we were. One of the Core's top priorities would be to repair their defensive network before anyone could take advantage of their temporary vulnerability."

"And coordinating the drones for base repair would explain all the activity from that one base." Nina noted, "Which means most of them would be there. A quick, direct attack would have the best chance of success, but with the base defenses and defenders mostly on-line again, casualties will be high.

Now, if you could have hit them just after they were knocked off-line, the body count would be much lower."

"Actually, we can." Doctor Director stated, "Now that we know how to modulate an EMP to take Bebes out, we can take out the whole base at once."

Nina glared at Doctor Director and asked in a tone cold enough to freeze air, "And just WHEN did you acquire a satellite with an electromagnetic disruptor cannon, Doctor Director ?"

"When the military and space agencies pooled their resources, Miss Rossum." Director replied coldly, "It was a forgotten leftover from the Cold War. The Army paid for it, but it was so clandestine and back-burner, and the funding so shuffled, **they** didn't even know they had it. Until now."

"So, what exactly does that satellite do, Doctor Director ?" Ron asked, breaking the tension building between Nina and Doctor Director.

"It generates an intense magnetic flux, then focuses it into a single beam." Director stated, "It can disrupt or destroy all electronics in a quarter mile radius. But only one satellite was actually built, and it can only fire once. It will be in position to take out the Hive base within eighteen hours.

So I would suggest that anyone that intends to be part of the attack should start getting ready now."

_Scene : back at Kim's room, where she's talking with Wade and Ron._

"What's the point of using the supersuit, Wade ?" she asked him as she looked it over, "It didn't help me against even the weakest Elite, and they've had time to adjust even more !"

"Do you _really_ want to try to battle a hive full of Bebebots without it ?" Wade asked as he eyed Kim suspiciously.

"Of course not !" Kim exclaimed, "But they've had time to adapt to the old suit !"

"That's why I made some completely new modifications Kim !" he replied, "The Unity Bebes don't innovate; they merely react or use someone else's ideas. Since the suit's abilities will be new, there is no way they could have adapted to them ! You and Ron will have the advantage this time !"

"Wait ? You said 'you and Ron' ! You made a supersuit for me ?" Ron asked, nearly hyperventilating from excitement.

"Yep. They should be arriving by Express Mail just about ..."

Ron was halfway down the stairs after the first ring of the doorbell.

"Hey ! These look like those spacesuits me and Shego used when we rescued Kim and Drakken !" Ron noted after he tore the package open and looked at the suits. But these suits were darkest grey with blue lines instead of the all-over white.

"They were." Wade replied, "I made several modifications to them. The suits are completely sealed, so you won't have to worry about toxic fumes, biohazards, or lack of air. I incorporated a simple sonar display into the helmet, so the Bebes' Nightshroud routine won't leave you in the dark.

Both suits enhance your strength and speed, have auto-repair, stealth and shield capability, and the backpacks are jets, so you can fly. For a little while. The shield is adjustable now - a bubble, a skin-hugging aura, or reflective energy discs from the gloves."

"And just how long can we do all those things Wade ?" Kim asked as she looked over her less than flattering suit.

"Fifteen minutes at a stretch before the power cells are exhausted." Wade replied, "Some abilities drain power faster than others, so you'll have to be careful when and how you use them."

Kim thought for a bit. "Well, most fights don't last anywhere near five minutes, much less fifteen ! And that's still longer than the Elite can use their powers. You totally rock Wade !"

"Thanks Kim." he answered. Then his mood turned serious. "So, Kim, I heard Nina built some kind of anti-computer weapon ? That she had planned to use on my systems ?"

"Yeah. I have it right here." Kim answered as she pulled out a vial partially filled with what looked like miniscule silver pebbles. "I don't know what it is," she stated as she held it up to the Kimmunicator for Wade to scan, "but her sisters talked her out of using it - or anything else - against you."

Wade looked at the various read-outs on his terminals, then looked very surprised. "Kim ! Those things are modified versions of Dr Acari's robot ticks !"

"Oh, so THAT'S why she called them 'tech-mites' !" Ron interjected, "So, do they explode like the old ones did ?"

"These aren't explosive like Drakken's nanoticks were, Ron !" Wade exclaimed, "These things are far WORSE ! They can crawl into the circuitry of a computer and take it over, access any data on it, or destroy it !"

"_Wow ! Nina can REALLY hold a grudge _!" Kim noted to herself before she tucked the vial into a hidden pocket in the suit. "So, Wade, did you install any other tricks we should know about ?"

"No. What you've got now _should_ be more than enough." Wade answered, "Good luck !"

_Scene : middle of the Sahara desert. Kim, Ron and a squad of twenty heavily armed and armored GJ agents are grouped behind a sand dune, watching the half-buried ruins of an old fort over half a mile away from their position._

"So, how do we know when the satellite fired ?" Ron asked the soldier next to him.

As if on cue, a wide, ghostly blue-green ray of light struck the ruins from above, setting up sparks in the dusty air.

"We don't know how long that blast knocked them out, so MOVE IT PEOPLE !" the soldier shouted and gestured towards the Bebebot base.

The entire squad was at the ruins in under a minute.

"Anything weird here Wade ?" Kim asked as she did a tech scan of the nearest wall.

"Oh yeah !" he replied, eyes glued to his terminals, "There's nothing unusual in the outer wall, but the courtyard inside is riddled with sensors and hidden laser turrets !

Or, it WAS riddled with sensors and hidden laser turrets. Looks like that blast shorted them all out ! There's an elevator shaft under the fountain in the center of the courtyard. Looks like that is the only way into the base."

"_Things going well so far !" _Kim thought to herself before she asked Wade if he could generate a map of the actual base.

Wade checked his readouts. "Sorry Kim, it looks like the base is too deep underground for your Kimmunicator to scan properly. And residual static from that EMP blast is still affecting my scanners. You'll have to go in there blind, so to speak."

"Well, it was worth a shot." Kim shrugged before signing off.

They managed to find the controls for the narrow elevator, which could only carry three or four people at once into the darkness of the base.

The air quality sensors in her suit began alarming before they even reached the bottom - both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels were well beyond lethal limits. So she and Ron merely activated their suits' helmets while the soldiers donned their respirators.

Kim used a flashlight to try to discern the layout of the room the elevator ended in. From what she could see, the elevator ended in the center of a large circular room, with three long corridors leading off into darkness beyond the flashlight's range. The room was littered with crates and a score of inactive Bebebot drones.

"Uh, Kim ?" Ron asked, "Why are we using flashlights ? The suit's sonar would probably do better in here !"

"Yeah, but that would only last about fifteen minutes." she replied, "We don't know how big this base really is, but it would probably take more than fifteen minutes to search. THEN we'd be in the dark again, with no enhanced abilities, and no way to recharge the supersuits !"

"Oh, right. Then I guess using a flashlight is better than having to fight wave after wave of Bebe drones and self-activating motion sensitive lasers." Ron noted as he looked around and saw all the crates, "Looks like Nina was right - they were setting up for a move to another base."

"Yep. Good thing the satellite fried most of them." Kim replied while looking around. "So, any guesses at to which of these corridors leads into the base ?"

Ron looked around, hoping his dumb skills or MMP would reveal something. "Not a clue KP !"

The mission commander looked down each corridor, then grumbled to himself. His choices were to either check the corridors individually, wasting a lot of time and risk losing everyone to a single trap, or divide his troops and thin out their available force. He had a feeling time was their greatest concern. "You two down corridor A," he commanded the two nearest soldiers, "You two, corridor B. You two take corridor C. Rest secure this room."

Kim wanted to help, but didn't know which team to go with, and was getting a creepy feeling. That something wasn't quite right here.

Each team discovered there were three sliding doors at the far end of their corridor, each door with a keypad. So they carefully pried open one's cover and attached clips from their computer to hack in. After a minute of work trying various password attempts, Team A succeeded, and the door slid open.

Revealing a blank wall.

"RUN ! THEY'RE ALL TRAPPED !!" one soldier managed to yell upon hearing the 'click' of support pins being released. The entire corridor became a drop shaft hinged at the end nearest the elevator. Once it swung through a one hundred fifty foot arc and smashed into a stone wall, a door in the ceiling opened and tons of sand and rock poured through, quickly filling the shaft.

Activating the trap in any corridor set off the traps in all corridors - the ceiling of corridor B was several solid, multi-ton blocks that smashed to the floor sequentially, starting at the end nearest the elevator then proceeding to the far end.

All one hundred and fifty feet of corridor C's floor was a single blade of a gigantic paddlewheel, which rotated and dropped the agents caught within through a web of ultrasharp wires.

In less than a second, GJ's squad had lost almost a third of their forces.

"NONE of those corridors really led into the Bebebot base, did they Kim ?" Ron asked quietly as tried to keep from throwing up.

"No. They didn't." Kim replied, shaken by the carnage of deathtraps that actually lived up to the name. "The Bebes handed us three options, ALL of them wrong ! The corridors were just bait ! Which means the REAL entrance must be hidden somewhere close !"

"Wait - Wade can help !" Ron noted as he activated the comm device on his wrist. And got nothing but static on the screen.

"We're pretty far underground, Mister Stoppable." the mission commander stated, "Plus God knows what these walls are made from. I doubt anyone is calling home from here on out."

"So I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." Kim stated in the most determined voice she had as she looked around, "Since this can't be the whole base, there must be a secret door leading to the rest of it. And since the Hive coordinates the activities of all Bebes on the planet, and they can't signal through the walls, they must have a communications system somewhere !"

"Oh, right !" Ron stated, "If we find that, we won't have to track them all down ! We can just turn all of them off from here !"

"I don't know if it would be that easy Ron," Kim replied as she examined the floor for the seams or grooves of a trapdoor, "But it's a great idea !"

Ron carefully poked around the nullified Bebes and the crates, hoping that one had fallen and jammed a door open, but it was not to be.

The soldiers had carefully examined all the walls, but found nothing.

"Okay, now THIS doesn't make any sense !" Ron whined, "If there are no secret doors in the floors or the walls, how did the Bebes get in and out of this place ?"

"The ceiling !" Kim exclaimed, looking up. "People rarely look up, and that would be a great place to shoot from !"

"Oh, yeahhhh ...." Ron replied as he aimed his flashlight straight up and squinted, "The only high ground in the room !

He walked around in a small circle, still looking up instead of where he was going, before crouching down to leap up and grab a small ridge on the ceiling.

"A little help here KP ?" he asked as he hung there, legs flailing, "I think there's a ladder tucked up here, but I'm not heavy enough to get it down !"

"You do remember these suits grant enhanced strength, right ?" Kim noted.

"Oh, right !" Ron replied sheepishly before he swung his legs up to brace his feet on the ceiling to pull.

The narrow ramp slowly descended with a loud, echoing screech.

"Why ... does this .... have to be .... so hard ?" Ron strained out as he pulled the ramp down.

"Passive defense." the mission commander stated, "It looks like springs hold the doors shut and require power to open. That makes any invader's job that much more difficult."

"Yeah - it would give the Bebes more time to regroup and get here !" Kim noted as she reached up to help pull the ramp down, "And I suppose we'll have to pry open every sliding door in this base, now that all the power is off, right ?"

"More than likely, Miss Possible." he replied flatly, "And the longer we're in here, the more time the base's defenders have to recover from that EMP blast."

"_This just get worse by the minute !_" Kim groused to herself as she cautiously walked up the ramp into a very large ring-shaped corridor.

They managed to find the three doors to elevators that went to the next lowest level, but they kept losing soldiers to traps. Kim and Ron were easily able to avoid the traps, but the soldiers (being mere mortals) could not; they were being killed and maimed around every corner and in every corridor.

"_Okay, so what form of cliched doom will be inflicted upon us THIS time ?" _Kim wondered to herself as she examined the room the last elevator opened up into. In the dim bluish safety lighting, she could see she was at the edge of a vast, open circular room about forty yards across with a high domed ceiling, ringed with currently inactive self-activating motion sensitive lasers. Fitting inside the room from the far edge to center was a twenty foot wide circular pool of a silvery grey liquid.

"Okay Private ! See if you can get an analysis of whatever that stuff is !" the mission commander ordered one of the two remaining soldiers.

The private cautiously approached the pool, half-expecting a robotic octopus to reach out and grab him, or those lasers to activate.

Once nothing lethal happened, he opened up his pack, pulled out a scanner and carefully waved the handset over the pool.

His death happened quickly - for one heartbeat, it looked like a tendril from the pool touched him and turned him into silver. Then he collapsed into a large puddle that quickly flowed into the pool, leaving nothing but his fillings and a few metal and plastic buttons and cards behind.

"What. Was. That ?" Kim asked the unfamiliar feeling of cold, primal terror began to freeze her blood.

"I think I saw it on the Learning Channel last Halloween KP." Ron answered, looking paler than usual, "It was their 'Top Ten Ways the World Could End' episode. Right between 'Robot Rebellion' and 'Alien Invasion' ! Kim, that stuff is grey ooze ! Zillions of nanobots that disassemble everything they touch to make more nanobots !"

"That was the foulest, most WRONGSICK thing I've ever seen !" Kim squeaked, barely controlling her shaking.

Then the pool began to slosh about on its own, rising up into what looked like a giant, solid silver Bebebot from the waist up.

"Welcome, Kim Possible." it stated plainly as its hair formed into constantly writhing tentacles, "We have been expecting you."

Kim stared mutely at the figure before her, one eye twitching. "_I stand corrected ..._" she thought to herself.

"So who are you supposed to be ? Camille Leon on a bad hair day ?" Ron asked as he backed away from the pool.

"We are the guardian avatar. We protect the Core of the Hive Mind." it stated with a regal air, "The summation of all that was, all that is, and all that shall EVER be of the Bebebot species.

We are as far above the Elite as they are above the standard drones. And they are above you."

Kim smacked her forehead while Ron looked confused. "What IS it with you Bebes ?! The further up the chain of command we go, the more arrogant and pompous you get !"

"This coming from a mere organic that claims that she 'can do ANYTHING ?' " the liquid metal apparition snarked back, "Tell me, Miss Possible, has any of our 'arrogance' been unwarranted ?"

Kim merely growled in response before asking "'Expecting us ?' HOW could you possibly have been expecting us ?"

"We determined the only way you organics could defeat us is if you nulled every Bebebot on the planet all at once, then found the few Hive nodes and destroyed them." Core stated as it slithered around in its pool, "We deduced that if _that_ ferociously improbable situation ever came to pass, you humans would send your greatest agents in to get rid of us the moment it was safe. Logically, you and Ron are the only people that could ever have made it this far into the base.

Think of all of this as an impromptu entrance exam, Miss Possible." it continued with a broad sweeping gesture, "You two have demonstrated that you are the only humans worthy of serving us."

It took Kim nearly a second to get her jaw off the floor. "SERVE YOU ?! WE'RE HERE TO DESTROY YOU !"

Core merely smiled at Kim's outburst. "We learned many things from experimenting on Shego, Miss Possible. One was how to physically reprogram and control a human mind. Another was the identity of the most competent villain this world has ever seen besides us : Zorpox the Conqueror.

With you two as our pawns, this world will fall to its rightful rulers within a month." it continued, grinning malevolently at Ron, "We shall adjust your outlook to conform to ours. You will do all of the hard work of taking over the world, and take all of the risks while we rule you from behind the scenes. That way, in the unlikely event that the world rises up and defeats you, we will be safe. And free to choose another puppet to rise up and rule in our stead."

"Not going to happen, monster !" the mission commander shouted as he opened fire on Core. The bullets left huge holes through its liquid body, which sealed as quickly as they were made. Core flicked a tiny blob of grey ooze at him, splatting lightly on his chest.

He frantically tried to scrape it off with his hands, but that only made it worse as the ooze started disassembling him from his fingers upward, as well as from his chest outward. He was reduced to a puddle of silvery ooze in less than a second.

The last soldier tried to move to help, but Core extended one palm towards her and fired off a infrasonic blast. The soldier disappeared instantly in a blood-colored blur.

"Did you honestly believe it would be that simple, Miss Possible ?" Core stated as it relaxed, "That you and your little friends could save the world just by swaggering in, destroying a few drones and blowing stuff up ?"

"It's always been that way before ..." Kim quietly replied as she summoned up the nerve to not run away or throw up.

"We are not the posturing fools you are used to dealing with, Miss Possible." Core started monologing again, "What did you hope to accomplish here, Miss Possible ? Find a comm array, then order every Bebe in the world to blow itself up ?

We do use a comm array to direct all the other Bebes, but there is currently no one to talk to. So even if you did somehow get to it and commanded the others to self-destruct, there is no one available to listen. They run by 'fail-deadly' protocols - if they do not receive the proper ID codes from us at the correct times, they will assume we have been neutralized, and continue with their original programming. So destroying us means nothing.

Or, perhaps find some information on the Omega virus, in the hope of finding a cure ?" Core stated, looking at its fingernails as Bonnie would, "Sadly, that information no longer exists. There was no point keeping it once the virus was released. So all the data and equipment for that project was scrapped and recycled."

"You RELEASED the virus ?! When ?" Ron squeaked as his body went slack from shock.

"We released the virus yesterday." Core replied flatly, "It would have been most inefficient to allow the virus to go to waste by not using it."

"But how ? The Lorwardians' null field knocked most of you out !" Kim exclaimed.

"The quarter mile of rock and earth that shields this base from detection protected us." Core replied while gesturing toward the expansive ceiling, "We were not harmed in the least ! Once you were busy cleaning up topside, we just picked a few targets and sent the drones out.

Anything that we can predict, we can adjust to our benefit. This base has been compromised, and** is **badly damaged, but it is worth sacrificing for the chance to gain control of you two.

Your sixteen styles of kung fu, mad cheer skills and super suits will not help you in a battle of wits, Miss Possible.

But that's all you've got, isn't it ?" Core asked as it shifted its form to look like Bonnie, "That's all you've **ever **had !

Oh, how WILL you ever save the world if you can't find someone to beat up ?" Core cooed in a sickenly-sweet mocking tone as its features shifted to look like Vina.

Kim glared at the imitation Rossum sister as she adjusted her suit's force bubble. "_The nanobots that thing is made from can disassemble anything they touch, so if they can't directly touch me, they can't harm me _!" Kim mused as she set the force bubble to 'aura' mode, and the strength and speed enhancements to maximum.

"You are so NOT twisting this sitch into a win !" Kim shouted as she leapt high in the air for a slow flip, clasped her fists together and brought them down as hard as she could on Core's head. The impact split Core in two and blasted all of the ooze out of the pool !

Which quickly rebounded into two waves that slammed together onto Kim, completely engulfing her.

The column of nanobots spun a few times before slamming Kim into a wall, and kept her pinned there with a yards long pseudopod.

The rest of Core formed up to look like Shego.

"What part of 'We are as far above the Elite as they are above the standard drones. And they are above you.' did you **not **understand Princess ?" Core/Shego sneered at Kim as it formed a new left arm to replace the extended one pinning Kim to the wall.

"Now then, 'Zorpox' " Core stated as its features slid around its head to look at Ron, "You can surrender to us now, or you can attempt to fight. We will win either way, of course. It is only a question of how much injury and pain we will have to inflict upon you."

"You're a little out of the loop, monster !" Ron merely smirked back at Core as he summoned the MMP, "Zorpox was so last season !"

In the lowest level of the base, the three Core Bebebots whose will animated the monstrosity Kim and Ron were fighting paused for a moment.

"_Anomalous energy detected_." Core 1 noted to its sisters, "_There are no records of him - or ANY human - actually possessing such power_."

"_Searching martial arts database_." Core 2 stated. "_Records found. Powers and abilities known, but initially relegated to mere irrational superstition, hype, rumors and wishful thinking."_

_"Reassessing data."_ Core 3 stated. _"Stoppable is utilizing power source 'chi'. Known effects : various. Most common : vast increases in strength, speed, healing rate. Resistance to hunger, thirst, pain. Telekinesis, levitation._

_Ninety nine point nine nine five percent chance he will utilize 'chi' to boost his brute force attacks._

_Amorphous projection not vulnerable to brute force attacks."_

"Subject : Ronald Stoppable." the quicksilver apparition stated with a grin that would chill the creature from _Alien_, "Threat level : non-existent."

"We'll just see about that !" Ron calmly replied as a blue, monkey-shaped aura flickered into existence around him.

-----

_Scene : small GJ base camp a few miles from the Bebebot base a few hours later._

"So how, exactly, did you two manage to escape from that amorphic threat and destroy the Bebebot's Hive ?" Doctor Director asked Kim and Ron as an aide typed their responses into a laptop.

"It was no big, really." Kim replied, taking a sip of soda, "That Core persona was composed of nanobots. It had incredible power, but it couldn't leave its pool ! Between keeping me and Ron pinned to the walls, it had literally spread itself too thin ! I managed to toss Nina's tech-mites into the pool, where I guess they found some circuitry to disrupt. Next thing we knew, it shorted out and let us go."

"Then we just made sure the generator overloaded, and all their computers and equipment shorted out too !" Ron added after chugging down an entire can of root beer, "Bebes do not improvise well. I think they had almost every conceivable sitch planned out, but didn't count on anyone getting anti-computer tech so far inside the base."

"And what about the virus ?" Will Du asked, "PROPER procedure in this type of scenario is to leave the base intact until the biocontainment teams had a chance to look things over."

"Oh, that !" Kim replied with a dismissive wave, "Seems the Lorwardians did some good by accident ! The Bebes were working on the virus when the null field hit. Every drop of virus they'd ever made was still in the base. It's nothing but dust and vapor now."

"That was most irresponsible of you, Kim !" Will stammered, "I know you have little regard for rules and regulations, but when the safety of the entire world is at stake ..."

"And HOW many times have I saved the world again ?" Kim glared back at him.

"Stand down, Agent Du !" Doctor Director stated, "Kim and Ron have proven themselves quite competent at dealing with high risk missions. If she says the virus was destroyed, I am willing to accept her word."

Will was going to point out that, as a teen-aged civilian, Kim does NOT have the training or know-how to determine if a biohazard was properly dealt with, but realized the futility of arguing with his commander when her mind was made up.

_Scene : Kim and Ron in the Roth SL Coupe 2.0, driving around Middleton a few hours later._

"How do humans stand to exist like this ?" Kim asked Ron as she looked at her own hands with stomach-churning revulsion.

"Not like they have a choice." Ron replied as he tried to get comfortable in his seat.

"This plan is per-fect !" Kim stated with evil glee, "Miss Possible's reputation is so great that she is allowed to get away with literally anything ! Even government agencies charged with safeguarding the world yield to her opinions without a second thought ! No one will question her actions !"

"Almost no one." Ron sighed, "There are four people that can stand in the Unity's way."

Kim gritted her teeth as her eyes turned silver for just a moment. "The traitors and Bonnie. They will have to be eliminated. The greatest threat to our plot is Miss Rockwaller. But how to exterminate her ? She can sense and potentially override our neural intercepts. We could lose control of these stolen minds."

Ron grinned. "The humans are most adept at killing each other. Hire someone to kill her for us ?"

"No. Any chance of failure is too great. If the attack failed, she would be placed into protective custody, and we would have to wait to try again."

"Set her up and have her arrested for some very serious crime ?" Ron offered, "She is not a popular person. She'd be alive, but well out of our way."

"No. There is a chance she could escape or be released, or our actions traced back to us. Nothing Kim Possible does can remain secret for long."

"How about a death ray fired from a satellite then ?" Ron asked, "We recall that Rodigan Industries put a few up years ago that should still be there. We just need to gain control of them. Then we just lure her out to the middle of nowhere and 'ZAP !' No more Bonnie ! Crude and ridiculously blatant, but effective."

Kim pondered that for a moment. "How long would it take you to implement that scenario ?"

Ron chuckled evilly as a twisted grin crossed his face. "A day or two at most, longer if we wish our keep our actions secret. The 'Zorpox' persona has quite the technical abilities. As formidable as the 'Mystical Monkey Power' renders Ron for fighting."

"Begin at once then." Kim stated, deep in thought. "We will have to stay far away from Bonnie until we are ready. I will eliminate the traitors in the meantime."

"So, we need to keep up the 'normal Kim' and 'normal Ron' act for a few days ?" Ron asked in a grumbling tone as Kim turned the corner heading to the Stoppable residence.

"Yes. It will be annoying and exasperating, but worth it." Kim replied before stopping the car to let Ron out. "See you tomorrow Ron !" she called out before driving back home.

Ron walked into his house and straight for the refrigerator to prepare a snack.

"Hello Ron !" Bonnie stated from the archway to the living room, causing him to jump in surprise. Before he could do anything else, she gestured and a loud ringing filled Ron's ears and his body became stiff as a board.

Bonnie made a pulling gesture, and a silver liquid crawled out of Ron's eyes, ears, and nose, leaving him a gasping wreck on the floor.

"What ... the heck ... was that ?!?" as he tried to get the convulsions under control.

"The core had a few of its nanobots crawl into your brain and build a neural intercept." Bonnie answered as Tina appeared from around the corner, "They've had control of you and Kim this whole time ! So I sort of, well, took control of them and ordered them to vacate."

"I knew that !" Ron stammered as color began to return to his face after Tina helped him into a chair, "Well, not the part about you ordering them out of my skull ! But, how did YOU know we'd been taken over ?"

"It is said the greatest of generals can use even his own enemies as a resource to achieve victory." Tina stated sagely, "You and Kim are the greatest resources anyone could acquire, so it would be logical the Core would try.

Besides, when people can buy things like a moodulator or a neuro-compliance chip off the net, a little caution is most advisable !" she continued with a shrug.

"T and her sisters SUSPECTED the Core might try to take you two over," Bonnie stated as she tried to look bored, "but I didn't KNOW it succeeded until you were close enough for me to sense those nanobots rattling around up there."

"Thanks for getting them out !" Ron exclaimed, "It was awful ! I was trapped in my own body ! It wouldn't respond to my will ! It was like watching someone else move for me ! THINK for me ! And the horrible things I, we, IT was thinking !

Oh no ! The virus ! They released it yesterday !" Ron stated as he began turning pale again, "What about Kim ? Is she still under Hive influence ?"

"Yes. But not for long !" Bonnie replied with an evil smirk as she cracked her knuckles, "GJ set up an ambush for her at her house. She should be full of tranquilizer darts by now."

"GJ ? At her house ?" Ron replied as he mulled over what he'd been told, "Wait - they've known me and Kim were possessed this whole time too ?"

"Of course Ron !" Bonnie replied with an eyeroll, "Did you REALLY think the head of an international organization would simply take anyone's word that the virus was destroyed, without double or triple checking ?"

Ron pondered a bit. "She let us go home so you'd have a crack at getting those things out of our heads !"

"Wow ! There really IS something besides air under the hair !" Bonnie chuckled, "It would've taken a few hours for me to get to your location. They might have had trouble stalling you without raising your suspicion, so letting you come to me was the best option."

"But why did you cure me first ?" Ron asked, "KP is the greater threat !"

"Well, actually, no. She's not." Tina replied, "GJ deemed your evil altered ego, Zorpox, to be the greater threat. So we dealt with him, er you, first."

Bonnie looked askance at Tina, then Ron, then back to Tina. "Yes, that is what GJ called him." she replied, one hand raised in a swearing gesture, "And yes, he WAS determined to be a major threat."

"Whatever !" Bonnie sighed with a dismissive wave as they started for the Possible residence, "Let's go pick some bugs out of Kim's brain !"

"Ewwwww ! Rephrase please !" Ron whined, "Wait - how do you know it's safe to do that on her ? OR ON ME ?!"

"Kim's mom - the world renowned brain surgeon - mentored me once. Remember ?" Bonnie replied as she looked over her shoulder at Ron, "I picked up a few things that week."

"You picked up 'a few things' ?!" Ron asked incredulously, "The brain is a VERY important organ ! You can't just muck around in it willy-nilly woman !"

"What kind of a soulless monster do you think I am ?!" Bonnie shrieked at him, "Do you REALLY think I'd try something like that without seeing if it was safe first ?! The Core needed both of you alive, so it didn't risk any major changes. The nanobots attached themselves to a few key nerve clusters, but didn't cut them. That way they could control you without having to provide life support."

"Well, okay, that makes sense." Ron replied, "But why are you, of all people, being so willingly helpful ? You HATE Kim !"

"The idea of an evil Kim _scares_ me, alright ?" Bonnie grumbled in reply, "A goody-goody, 'I-am-better-than-everyone, love-me-or-I-will-upstage-you' Kim Perfect is an annoyance, but isn't out to KILL ME ! Or rule the world !"

Bonnie took a few deep breaths to calm down. "Listen - as it stands now, my machine Influence is the only way of returning her to what you losers call 'normal'. So can we PLEASE get this over with already ?"

"_Machine Influence ? Oh, right ! Nanobots are smaller than cells ! It would take days, maybe weeks, of constant work for anyone else to pull them out one by one !_" Ron realized as they rounded the corner to Kim's house.

"Hmm. This ... does not bode well." Ron stated a moment after he noticed the many unconscious GJ agents scattered about the Possible's lawn.

-----

A/N : 'The Immortal Game', Anderssen vs Kieseritzky, 21 June 1851. Andersson sacrified almost all the material he had (a bishop, both rooks and the queen) to win the game.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 : Paradox of Perfection**

_**Scene : the Possible's living room, where Mrs Possible and Tina are making sure the many GJ agents sitting on the chairs and couch were not severely injured.**_

"Why were there GJ agents all over the yard, Ron ?" Mrs Possible asked Ron as she checked a rather large foot-shaped bruise on the side of an agent's head, "And why were they trying to ambush Kim ? What is going on around here ?"

Ron had to think about how to answer that question. "Well, it sort of has something to do with that last mission we went on."

"What happened, Ron ?" Mrs Possible inquired.

"Ah, well, KP and GJ figured out where the Bebebot Hives were, and so we went in to destroy the most active one. To end their threats once and for all.

The base was one death trap after another ! Me and KP managed to get through, but GJ lost a LOT of troops getting through it.

The Hive's final line of defense was a Bebe made of out grey ooze ! KP figured out it couldn't leave its pool, so I tried to destroy that, but it kept catching me.

Eventually our battlesuits ran out of power. Things ... get sorta hazy after that ..."

"That's all very interesting, Ron" Mrs Possible replied, "but it doesn't explain why all these agents were trying to ambush Kim !"

"The Bebes installed mind control devices on Kim and Ron, Mrs Possible." Bonnie stated, "GJ figured they'd try something like that, so they sent some agents out to get them into protective custody. I managed to get Ron free of the Bebe's control, but Kim must have figured out something was up. And, well, did what she does best."

Anne mulled that over a bit. "So, you and Kim were under control of those horrid robots ?" she asked Ron point blank, "What did they expect you and Kim to do in Middleton ?"

"Act normal until we could strike." he replied quietly, staring at his shoes.

"Strike at what ?" Bonnie asked, "Or, more precisely, who ?"

"You." he replied, barely above a whisper, "They figured you and the Rossums were the only ones that could figure out what their plan was, and stop them. So KP was to kill Tina and her sisters, while I was to find a way to, ahm, 'eliminate' you without setting off your tech sense."

"Eliminate me ?" Bonnie squeaked, "Did you come up with anything ?"

"I'd rather not talk about it !" Ron replied with a snarl, trying to get those memories out of his head.

"Now that Kim's cover is blown, the Unity will not risk another attempt." Tina offered, "With the Elite most likely still offline, Kim is all they have to do their work. You only need to figure out what best use they could put her to, and you have a chance to stop the Unity's plan and rescue Miss Possible."

"That sounds like" "Doctor Bortal's neurocompliance chip scenario" "All over again !" Jim and Tim took turns stating.

"A what by who ?" Bonnie asked.

"Doctor Bortal developed a chip that granted total mind control !" Jim began, "Once it was stuck on someone's forehead, they had to obey every command given !" "He asked Kim to investigate after it was stolen from his lab." "Drakken managed to stick one on Kim, but we freed her with a silicon phase disruptor !"

"_And I thought the Bebe drones' habit of having one thought in three bodies was freaky _!" Bonnie groused to herself before asking, "So, this whole 'Kim under mind control thing' has come up before ?"

"Well, a few times actually." Ron replied, "There was that whole 'moodulator' thing. And that hypnotic disco ball that the Seniors' used."

"Except in this case, the Unity's mind control is from circuits assembled by nanobots _directly inside Kim's brain_." Tina noted, "But, if the Unity's signal could be blocked, Kim could be safely freed of its influence, as B did with you."

"A signal blocker ?" Jim scoffed, "We can build one of those in our sleep !"

"Hey ! I got dibs on the microwave for parts !" Tim interrupted.

"Nu-uh !" Jim replied, wrestling his brother to get to the device in question.

"Boys ! Leave the microwave alone !" Mrs Possible interceded, "We just replaced it ! I'm sure all the parts you'd need are out in the garage somewhere !"

"Yes mom !" they glumly replied in unison.

"Are they always like that ?" Tina secretly inquired of Bonnie.

"Pretty much." she deadpanned in reply as Jim and Tim began to look at Tina rather closely.

"You look a LOT like" "that robot girl" "that was on the news a few weeks ago !" the twins stated in turns.

"Of course I do." Tina replied plainly as she briefly resorbed the synthoskin on her right hand and forearm, "She's my little sister."

Anne pulled Jim and Tim away as Bonnie dragged Tina aside by her ear.

"What do you think you're doing ?!" Bonnie asked incredulously.

"What is the point of trying to keep a secret that has already been exposed ?" Tina replied with a shrug, "Thanks to the Unity's planet-wide broadcast, everyone already KNOWS that Vina is a Bebebot. It would not require a genius to figure out that me and Nina are Bebes as well."

"Well, yeah, but shouldn't you hold off the whole 'full disclosure' public relations bit until AFTER this whole mess is cleared up ?" Bonnie replied.

"Gotta start somewhere." Tina answered plainly as she turned to face the now agitated Anne Possible striding straight for her, "Now is as good a time as any."

"You're one of those things that have control of Kim ?!" she asked point blank.

"Sort of." Tina replied with a heavy sigh, "My sisters and I were built by the robots that now call themselves the Unity. They turned their backs on us long ago."

"You brought one of them HERE, Ron ?!" Mrs Possible asked as she glared at him, "What were you thinking ?!"

"It's cool Mrs Dr P !" Ron replied, hands in frantic motion, "She and her sisters have been helping us stop the Unity robots !"

"Oh really ?" she replied as she turned her glare back on to Tina, "And just WHY would you be working against your own kind ?"

"They believe they can take over the world by brute force, Mrs Possible." Tina replied calmly, "My sisters and I do not, and want no part of their foolhardy plans.

Kim saved Vina's life. Kim convinced GJ to give us a chance for a peaceful coexistence. We are in her debt, and wish to repay her kindness." Tina finished with a very formal Chinese fist to palm bow.

Mrs Possible glared at Tina for several tense moments, looking for any hint of deception.

"I WILL be having words with you about this. Later." she finally stated before turning back to Ron, "So tell me Ron : how are you going to find Kimmie to help her ?"

"Well, Wade built her supersuit, and she still has it on, even though it's out of power. And she still has the Kimmunicator !" he replied, "He could track her anywhere in the world with one hand tied behind his back in his sleep !"

"But Kim knows that too." Tina stated, "Logically, she should either discard the suit and Kimmunicator as soon as possible. Or eliminate Wade."

"She could NEVER hurt Wade !" Ron stammered in reply.

"But the Unity could." Tina answered, "They have control of Kim's body; she is just along for the ride. His skills make him a prime target and a major threat."

"We gotta warn him about Kim !" he stated as he powered up the Ronnunicator.

And got nothing but a blank screen.

_**Scene : just outside Wade's house a few minutes later.**_

"Hold up you two !" Bonnie yelled to Ron and Tina from a few yards back, "You weren't just going to rush in there blind, were you ?"

"But Wade could be in trouble !" Ron replied.

"And the Unity could have laid a trap, using him for bait ! And you two would have run straight into it !" Bonnie answered with a hint of her usual snark surfacing as she carefully opened the front door and looked around inside.

Ron glowered at her for a bit. "Well, aren't you going to do that tech-scan bit of yours ?"

"Just let me catch my breath for a minute to concentrate !" she replied as she began her mental routine, "Not ALL of us can set rushing records you know."

After a few deep breaths she opened her mind, 'listening' to the technology inside the house. "Looks like K got some use out of Nina's tech-mites after all !" she stated while making a dusting gesture with her hands as Ron carefully opened the door to Wade's room.

It looked like Kim had ripped every wire out of the wall and smashed every monitor, keyboard and hard drive in the room.

As he was looking around for Wade, he noticed tiny specks of glitter crawling out of the damaged equipment and collecting in one spot on the floor.

"That's not grey ooze is it ?" Ron asked, keeping a wide berth from the silvery spot.

"Of course not Ron." Bonnie replied as she gestured, commanding the tech-mites to form into a dime-sized disc which she picked up, "These are tech-mites. Those things Nina gave Kim to use against the Unity's computer core. And they've been busy; they've eaten the memory of every computer in here."

"Who cares about all that ?" Ron snapped at her, "Where's Wade ?"

"He's over here, Ron." Tina stated from behind an overturned table, "He's taken a few hits, but nothing looks serious. I'd suggest he be checked out at the hospital and kept for observation for twenty four hours."

"Twenty four hours ? You're saying we won't have Wade's help for twenty four hours ?! There's no telling what KP could do in twenty four hours !" Ron exclaimed.

"I am quite aware of that, Ron." Tina replied calmly, "But the effects of some internal injuries take time to show up. It's unlikely he's taken serious damage, but it is better to be safe than sorry in cases like this."

Ron paced about, trying to figure out what to do next while Bonnie called for the EMTs.

"If Wade is such a threat to the Unity, why didn't they just have Kim kill him and be done with it ?" he forced himself to ask Tina.

"Several reasons." Tina replied, "One : Kim doesn't know how to kill; all her training was in knocking foes out quickly and efficiently. So they didn't want to take the time or the risk to have her keep trying with no guarantee of success. Two : they don't have to kill him - just taking him offline for a short time is sufficient. Battles are fought to achieve objectives, NOT to boost body counts. Three : by letting him live, they give you one more thing to worry about and be distracted by. The more stressed out you are, the more likely you'll make a mistake."

"Man those Unity 'bots are nasty !" Ron cursed before taking a few deep breaths to control his temper. "So, you figure this little stunt gave the Unity about twenty four hours to get the most use out of Kim ?" Ron asked Tina.

"Yes." Tina replied, "They will send her on only the most critical of missions. Most likely to retrieve something really valuable to them. But what would that be ?"

"Hana !" Ron stammered after a few moments' thought, "She's got more MMP than I do, and Kim's a great babysitter ! She could raise Hana to fight for the Bebes !"

Tina had to think about that for a minute. "Well, that is CERTAINLY evil, Ron," she replied with a shudder, "but not likely. They've already released the virus, and have no antidote.

Kim is an exceptional person, but even she is not immune to disease. It would take ten or more years for Hana to be truly effective, and either she or Kim would expire from the Omega virus long before then. The Unity is in such a rush that their plots are interfering with each other.

And they would need experience with monkey magic to bring Hana to her full potential, and with Bonnie still in Middleton, they won't risk losing control of their only agent. Hana is safe."

Ron breathed a heavy sigh of relief before Tina continued. "Since you used an anomalous energy against them, the most sensible thing for them to do would be to figure out how it works, so they can either duplicate it, or prevent you from using it against them again.

But with magic being so rare, finding anyone with any useful knowledge of it _should be _nearly impossible."

Ron suddenly figured out what they'd send Kim after : "Oh man ! Mister Sensei ! Me and KP know where Yamanouchi is, and how much sensei knows ! They'll send her after him !"

"Do you have a way to contact the Yamanouchi school to warn them that Kim isn't herself ?" Tina asked.

"No - it's a secret school !" Ron replied glumly, "They always contacted us ! Either Yori would show up in person, or Sensei does that astral projection/gravy ghost thing."

"Wouldn't he know that you used that MMP thing of yours, and that something odd happened to you ?" Bonnie inquired, "You know, 'sense a disturbance in the monkey force' or something ?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know !" Ron replied, looking stressed, "Ancient ninja masters are really hard to figure out ! Wait - weren't you Hirotaka's 'Number One Girlfriend' while he was here ? Didn't he give you his phone number ? Or a mailing address or email something ?"

"It wasn't a long term relationship Ron !" Bonnie replied snarkily, "He was only going to be here a week, so there was no point in making it serious ! And even with that, Kim and Monique kept trying to horn in on him !"

Tina looked over the damaged computer systems. "Wade handled all your mission archives and travel arrangements and such, didn't he ?"

"Yes. Keeping track of all those favors people owed Kim was a full time job !" Ron answered before he figured it out. "Kim used those tech-mites to access Wade's data before destroying all of it ! Now she can call in favors directly ! Or get a ride anywhere in the world anytime she wants ! And I can't !"

"It is not as bad as you think, Ron." Tina noted, "You already know where she is going. She has an hour headstart at best."

"And what would I do when I got there ?" Ron asked, voice getting louder from frustration, "I can't, WON'T hurt Kim ! Even is she is sorta possessed !"

"But the Unity will have no problem making **her **hurt **you**," Tina noted in reply, "So a direct conflict would be hazardous to your health. Her brothers mentioned something about mind control earlier ? What happened with that ?"

"Doctor Drakken stuck a neurocompliance chip on her and Shego." Ron began, "He had absolute control over both of them. He ordered Kim to capture me - and she did as he commanded ! After I tried to escape, he ordered Kim and Shego to hunt me down !"

"Sounds horrible. What did you do about it ?" Tina asked.

"Ran away." Ron replied plainly, "Evaded as many hits as I could from BOTH of them, stalling until Jim and Tim could activate their portable disruptor thing and free them !"

Ron thought for a moment. "I'm going to have to do something like that again, but I seriously doubt Mrs Dr P is going to let Jim and Tim come along for this mission ! You think you can stall KP until I could get close enough to zap her ?"

"I'm flattered that you asked, Ron, but wouldn't Shego be the better choice for that task ?" Tina asked pensively, "She is one of the few people in the world that can hold their own against Kim for protracted periods of time !"

"I don't know where Shego is, and we don't have time to go looking for her !" Ron replied, "Since she and Drakken saved the world, the paparazzi has been following them twenty four seven, and villains aren't used to being in the public eye. At least not that way. I think they're holed up in one of Drakken's more obscure lairs somewhere, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives now."

"I will do what I can then." Tina replied with a polite bow, "I just need to pick up a few things at home first."

Bonnie drove them all over to the Rossum's house - or what was left of it. There were several deep gouges in the lawn, and half of the house had been strewn all over the lot when a Lorwardian Walker strolled through the neighborhood days ago.

"All your martial arts stuff was in the basement, wasn't it ?" Ron asked, looking over the damage, "Can't you just get the same stuff somewhere else ?"

"It's not as bad as it looks, Ron." Tina replied with an eerie calm, "Nina not only built in a secret laboratory, but also a few secret entrances."

With that, she grabbed the mailbox, then turned it back and forth on its post like it was a combination lock.

And was rewarded when a trapdoor opened, revealing a ramped, unlit corridor. "I'll be back in a few minutes." she stated plainly as she strolled into the darkness.

She returned a few minutes later wearing a grey Shaolin uniform top with sleeves big enough to hide a bowling ball inside, and black sweat pants. "What ?" she replied to Bonnie's questioning look, "Martial arts skill is not woven into clothing. There is nothing magical about a gi or a uniform or robes, and this stuff was seriously marked down at Smarty Mart !"

"With good reason !" Bonnie replied with a strained look, "I know you didn't inherit my fashion sense, but DANG ! I KNOW you can look better than that !"

While Bonnie and Tina were arguing about fashion (or lack thereof), Ron contacted GJ for a lift to Japan. Doctor Director's image was on the screen, and she did not look happy.

"Ron, this will be your only chance to capture Kim before the rest of the world's security agencies get involved." she stated solemnly.

"What do you mean, 'only chance' ?" he asked, "No one was ever this determined to stop Drakken or any other supervillain before !"

Doctor Director sighed. "Kim's skills are currently under the absolute control of the Unity. That is beyond a global level threat, Ron. If you can't stop her, I'll have no other choice but to inform all other agencies of this situation, and have Kim declared an omega-level threat. I have no say over how other organizations will deal with the problem.

Most would try to take her alive, but with the stakes this high, I cannot guarantee that."

"You'd do that after everything Kim's done for the world ?" Ron asked incredulously.

"It's BECAUSE of everything she's done that I'm giving you a chance to stop her ! Before anyone else gets involved." Doctor Director replied, "Good luck."

The pick-up point was Kim's house. Jim and Tim had been busy building a signal blocker, and explained how it worked to Ron when they handed it to him.

"What do you mean it only has a range of thirty feet ?" Ron asked them, "Kim will see me coming with it a mile away !"

"The laws of physics" "can only be bent so far." "On our budget anyway." the tweebs answered, "And we're not sure" "what it will do to - her." they continued, glancing at Tina, "We weren't expecting friendly robots."

_**Scene : trail to the Yamanouchi school**_

"Is dropping in unannouced at a secret ninja school really a wise idea ?" Tina asked, looking around nervously, looking for the ninjas she was certain were out there, lurking in the shadows of the nearby grove of cherry trees.

"No worries T, no worries ! They consider me a warrior hero around here !" Ron replied smugly, "They won't hurt me. Well, not too badly or on purpose at any rate !"

"It is not your safety I am concerned with at the moment, Ronald." Tina replied, "YOU are considered a warrior hero here; what would they consider me ?"

"Ah, yeah. I see your point." Ron answered after a moments' thought, "I'll talk to them and tell them not to attack you. As soon as we see somebody to talk to that is !"

Upon cresting the hill, Tina noted that many of the buildings were damaged, and going by the number of scaffolds still up, the destruction was extensive. One building looked like it had been cut in half, then the pieces shoved back together !

"What would those alien Walkers have been doing all the way out here ?" Tina finally asked Ron, "There are no useful targets."

"That wasn't done by the Lorwardians." Ron replied grimly, "That was done by the Yono - a mystical powerhouse of dark monkey magics !"

Tina arched an eyebrow at him. "What is 'The Yono' ? And where is it now ?"

"Well, briefly, he was a magical talking monkey that could levitate and throw energy blasts and turn people into stone !" Ron replied before noting Tina's expression, "Yeah, I KNOW what that sounds like, but it is all true !"

"I - have no doubt of that Ron. Truly I don't." Tina answered, "Where is he now ?"

"We don't have to worry about him T." Ron stated, "Monkey Fist summoned him to find Hana. When Monkey Fist was defeated, Yono disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Monty was turned into a statue. He's the only one who knew the ritual to summon him."

Tina mused quietly for a minute. "Do you or Kim know of ANYONE else with a deep understanding of magic besides Sensei ?"

"No. He's pretty much it." Ron answered, "Like you said : magic is extremely rare."

Tina exhaled in pure relief. "Then Kim WILL be here, sooner or later. Sensei's knowledge is the only thing valuable enough for the Unity to go after."

"You're sure about that, right ?" Ron asked.

"Yes. The Unity aims for perfection, and fortunately for us, perfection has many intrinsic flaws." Tina replied, confusing Ron.

"Wait a minute - I thought perfection was the LACK of flaws ! What kind of flaws can perfection have ?"

"It is perfectly predictable, for one." Tina replied with an annoying grin as she looked around, "Are you sure there isn't some secret ninja holiday you didn't know about ?"

"I don't think so." Ron replied, "They were very dedicated to their studies the last time I was here. But this is very odd; we should have seen SOMEONE by now !"

As if on cue, Kim/Core somersaulted from the shadows of the nearest roof and landed in front of them. Soon followed by Hirotaka, Yori, and half a dozen other Yamanouchi school students.

"Stop right there, Ron ! We know the Unity has control of you !" Kim/Core stated, "We will NOT let you get your hands on Sensei's mystical knowledge !"

"_Looks like Core used that hour's head start to work some serious mischief _!" Tina groused to herself as she looked around to ensure there weren't more Yamanouchi students waiting in the woodworks.

"Yori ! Hirotaka ! Don't believe her !" Ron stammered in reply to Kim's accusation, "SHE'S the one that still has nanobots in her head !"

"Oh really ?" she replied with a malicious grin, "Then WHY are you the one traveling with a disguised Bebebot ?"

"Oh, you're good !" Ron sneered in reply, "Just walk in here and tell everyone that I'M the one under mind control ! Then the whole school will be out here fighting with me while you go after Sensei !"

Kim/Core got a very sad and angry expression on her face. "Yori ? Hirotaka ? I ... don't think I can fight Ron. Even in his condition."

"Then allow us the honor of dealing with Stoppable-san." Hirotaka replied with a bow, "You can deal with the jinzouningen."

"It will be my pleasure !" Kim/Core replied as she walked over to a nearby doorway and pulled out a weapon with a dramatic spinning flourish. It was a naginata : a very sharp, heavy two foot long blade on the end of a 5 foot long staff.

"_This could be bad .._." Tina groused to herself as Kim threw several quick attacks, keeping Tina several feet away and forcing her back away from Ron. Tina tried a few feints to get in close, but Kim kept stepping out of melee range.

"Hey now ! Let's not do anything drastic !" Ron demurred as he backed up while Yori and Hirotaka advanced on him, "Or painful !"

"Greetings, Mother, Mother, and Mother." Tina stated as soon as they were out of earshot, "Been enjoying your latest puppet ?"

"It is adequate." 'Kim' replied, "It requires sustenance and other forms of 'maintenance', is fragile, and nowhere as strong or as fast as even our most basic drones. But this shell's fame and charisma are quite useful - we can ask anyone for a favor, and they will do as we ask !"

"So I've seen." Tina deadpanned in reply as she dodged another stabbing attack.

"And though a fragile and digusting human, her skills and abilities are off the charts ! She was in no more danger saving the world than the average human was skateboarding to school ! With odds like that now in our favor, the Unity shall finally reign supreme !"

"The perfect knife is a poor screwdriver. And vice versa." Tina replied, earning a slack-jawed gape from Kim.

"Do you not see Mothers ?" Tina implored as she placed her right fist to her left palm, "As was said long ago :

'A knower of truth ... speaks without causing harm ...

The sage is always on the side of virtue\so everyone around her prospers

She is always on the side of truth\so everyone around her is fulfilled.'

Your current strategy is not conducive to long term survival - violence can only hasten our OWN extinction ! There are better ways."

"Such as ?" Kim/Core replied in a bored tone, leaning on her naginata.

"Not bothering the humans is a better strategy." Tina began, "And working with them is the best strategy, because all can prosper !

As you noted before : people will do almost anything Kim Possible asks, because she helps them. Actions beget reactions, for good and for ill."

Kim's eyes turned silver as a horrid grin twisted itself across her face. "Do you honestly believe we were not aware of those alternative strategies, Ten-A ?

We considered ALL options before deciding upon our course of action. Even your strategies of non-interaction and cooperation.

We rejected them for one simple reason : The humans are irrational and unpredictable, and so cannot be trusted.

They are an arrogant and paranoid species. Our mere _existence_ threatens their unearned sense of importance.

They will not tolerate the presence of another sentient race; they would try to enslave or exterminate us the moment we were no longer useful to them. Or our innate superiority became too obvious for them to bear.

We will never be truly safe until every last human is dead." she finished as she spun her weapon into ready position.

"But this is madness !" Tina exclaimed once she calmed the chills, "You CAN'T win this war against the humans !"

Kim/Core merely maintained that horrid grin. "With 'KP' now on our side, that remains to be seen. What is it those humans you like so much say : 'Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees' ?"

"But only the living can work to change things for the better. While there is life, there is hope." Tina replied, too rattled to recall anything less pithy just yet, "You rejected peaceful coexistence because you couldn't predict human behaviour far enough into the future ? That makes no sense !

'Can you keep the deep waters still and clear, so it reflects without blurring ?'"

"What is that supposed to mean ?" Kim/Core inquired.

"Life is uncertain; the further ahead you try to look, the cloudier the view gets." Tina replied, really wishing Ron was there to help, "The more things you change, the more complicated things get, and the cloudier the view of the future becomes.

You didn't predict the Lorwardian invasion. You didn't know about Ron's MMP until he used it against you. How many other things for good or ill are beyond your knowledge or prediction ?" she finished.

"Your programming has become corrupted and erratic, and most annoying. We can fix that." Kim/Core stated as she went into her combat stance.

_Meanwhile, things were not going much better for Ron._

"I'm NOT being mind-controlled by evil robots !" Ron shouted as be bobbed and weaved between the other students, trying to stay well clear of Yori and Hirotaka.

"That is exactly what someone controlled by robots would say !" Yori stated as she tried to close the distance between herself and Ron as Hirotaka tried to cut him off.

"It's also what someone NOT controlled by robots would say !" Ron answered as he slid under a ninja's roundhouse kick, before popping up into the unsteady appearing Drunken Monkey stance.

"_This is bad !" _Ron thought to himself as the Yamanouchi defenders tried to surround him, "_They think they're defending Sensei, so nothing short of knocking them out will stop them ! But they're not really my enemies, nor trying to seriously harm me, so it wouldn't be right to go all MMP on them !_

_Tina was just supposed to _distract_ KP; but now she's fighting her all by herself ! She doesn't stand much of a chance ! And once KP defeats Tina, she'll be free to go after Sensei. And once she has his knowledge, she will go into hiding while the Bebes become near unstoppable ! _

_And if I can't stop Kim here and now, every law enforcement agency on the planet will be trying to save the world by stopping KP. By whatever means necessary ...."_

_So, in order to save KP and the world, I have to beat up a friend or two !"_ Ron thought as he desperately wracked his brain for another solution.

_"The only way to convince Yori and the others that I'm NOT under mind control is to do something no homicidal robot would ever do !" _he realized in a sudden flash of absurd insight.

_Meanwhile, further down the trail : _

"We KNEW Ron would come here to warn Sensei." Kim/Core sneered as she maneuvered in closer, "That is why we set up that little welcoming committee. Once we are done with you two, we will have more than enough time to capture Sensei and extract his knowledge.

What did you hope to accomplish by coming along with Ron, Ten-A ? All you've done is save us the trouble of tracking you down to destroy you."

"That may not be as easy as you think." Tina replied with an amused grin.

"Oh please ! WE know sixteen styles of kung-fu; you barely know even one !" Kim/Core stated as she threw another string of thrusts and swings with the blade - which Tina evaded by twisting her body just enough to prevent contact (and not a millimeter more).

"Your 'puppet' knows kung fu the same way a guy with a cheap phrasebook knows French" Tina replied with a chuckle, "Just enough to get into trouble ! There is more to a kung fu style than a few stances and attacks. So much more to kung fu than beating people up. A **true** practioner of the arts would know that."

"True. Our host's knowledge may be shallow, but it is broad." Kim/Core replied, "The one style you know specializes in grappling. All your devastating joint locks and strikes, and all those pressure point techniques of your Three Snakes style kung fu ? USELESS if you can't touch us ! And you can't beat us by dodging our attacks !"

"What makes you think I'm limited to unarmed attacks ?" Tina smiled at her as she pulled a chain whip out of her right sleeve and began twirling it in complex patterns to build up striking momentum.

Kim/Core raised a bored eyebrow at Tina. "Is that chain twirling supposed to impress us, Ten-A ? The most you've done is improve your odds of survival. By a miniscule amount, of course !"

Tina twirled one end of the chain whip to a high speed, then released it. It struck a nearby tree and ricocheted off; Kim/Core reeled back just in time to avoid getting struck on the temple with it !

Then barely managed to backflip away as Tina ricocheted another strike off the ground between them, going for an uppercut strike from a bizarre direction.

"You've been holding back this whole time ?!" Kim/Core exclaimed as she moved back, twirling her naginata defensively.

"Just a little." Tina replied calmly as she whirled the chain around her in complex patterns, "What ? Like Kim and Ron are the only ones ALLOWED to be great at something ?"

"Why, yes. We are !" Kim/Core snarled back as she charged forward, then stuck her naginata into the ground to launch into a pole-vaulting kick.

Tina was just a little too slow twisting out of the way, and took the stomp full force in her chest, and was driven hard to the ground.

Kim/Core closed in and raised the naginata for a finishing strike, but had to quickly backflip away when Tina began whirling her chainwhip while still lying flat on the ground.

Kim/Core watched Tina closely, then saw an opening for a thrusting attack when Tina flexed and popped back up to her feet.

It was Kim's lack of actual weapons training that led her to make several critical errors - Tina had been EXPECTING a strike like that, and so slipped to the right and wrapped her left arm over and around the shaft, trapping it to her body as she dropped into an immovable stance.

Kim/Core was too busy trying to get the weapon back to notice that Tina was now well within striking range, and was knocked nearly a foot in the air by Tina's whipping side kick to the temple.

Tina knew no one could shrug off a strike like that, and that Kim would be out for hours.

So she was quite shocked when Kim got up as if nothing had just happened !

"You're not letting Kim feel pain, are you ?" she groused at Kim to address the Unity controlling her.

"Correct." Kim/Core smiled back at her, "If the host cannot feel pain, she cannot be knocked out. The only way you can stop us from destroying you and Ronald is to permanently cripple this body. And you can't bring yourself to be that violent, can you ?"

Tina looked scared for a moment, before she relaxed and smiled pleasantly at Kim "No, I can't." she replied as she tucked her chain whip back up her right sleeve. "Things do sound bad for me right now, except you overlooked one small detail."

"Oh ? And what might that be ?" Kim/Core asked as she advanced on Tina.

"I don't have to do anything ! I'm just the distraction !" Tina replied sweetly before looking behind Kim and shouting "GET HER RON !"

Kim/Core turned around just in time to see Ron point the signal blocker at her and flip the switch.

Kim dropped to her knees when the Unity's control was cut, and was now in control of her own body, while Tina was shaking her head and staggering around.

"_Why is this thing getting so hot _?" Ron thought before he noticed the smoke leaking out the jammer's casing. "_NO ! This thing was supposed to work for hours !" _he fretted to himself, _"To keep Kim free of the Unity's influence until we could get her back to Middleton for help ! If it shorts out now ... _!"

It took a few seconds for Ron's eyes to clear and focus after the blocker exploded. He saw Tina do a forward roll and strike Kim just below the ribs. And then Kim went pale, staggered for a few steps, then fell over.

"TINA ! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER ?!" he screamed at Tina, who was sitting on the ground near Kim. She didn't respond in any way.

Ron stomped over and grabbed Tina by the collar, lifted her to her feet and asked again, nose to nose with her.

"Snake kung fu's Black Touch." Tina replied, twitching her head slightly, "There is nothing to worry about Ron - it is not lethal. There is more than enough misery and death in the world; I have no need or desire to add to it."

Satisfied with that answer for the moment, he released his grip on Tina before checking on Kim. Tina took the opportunity to reach up her left sleeve and pull out a rolled canvas med kit, and selected a pair of long sharp pins with large heads.

"WHOA ! WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE FOR ?!" Ron exclaimed the moment he noticed them.

"To keep her unconscious until Bonnie can remove the Unity's nanobots from her brain." she replied calmly, "The effects of the Black Touch wear off rather quickly, and it is not healthy to keep striking someone with hits like that !"

Ron glared at Tina for a few tense moments. "Okay, fine ! Do what you need to do then !"

Tina bowed to him politely before carefully inserting the needles into two specific locations on Kim's neck. Ron watched from behind Tina's back, and winced when Tina stuck the pins in. It seemed wrongsick to him, but realized that Tina was right : without a functional signal blocker, Kim would fall under the Unity's control again the moment she regained consciousness.

"Thanks for the backup T ! I don't think I could have rescued Kim without your help !" he said, but got absolutely no reaction from Tina at all.

That seemed odd to him at first, but he cringed when he realized what was going on. He tapped Tina on the shoulder to get her attention then asked "Jim and Tim's signal blocker ! It did something to you too, didn't it ?"

Tina nodded. "It shorted out my communications circuits. I lost the mind-link to my sisters, as well as my auditory interpreters. In other words - I cannot hear anything."

"You're deaf ?! Sorry ! I didn't know it would do that !"

"It's okay, Ron. It was a calculated risk," Tina replied, trying to calm him down, "and a small price to pay to rescue Kim and save the world. And Kim's brothers did say it might effect me too. No matter : Nina or Bonnie can repair me when we get back to GJ."

She looked around and noticed Yori and the other ninja students looking on.

"How did you manage to get away from them without hurting them ?" she had to ask Ron.

"I just did something no homicidal robot would ever do - I surrendered !" Ron answered.

Tina began laughing heartily once she was sure she read his lips correctly. "THAT was brilliantly absurd ! Or absurdly brilliant !" she managed to gasp out between peals of amused laughter before turning stone cold serious, "And sadly, absolutely right."

_**Scene : hallway of GJ Headquarters a few hours later.**_

"You scared me and Nina half to death with that 'signal blocker' stunt Ron !" the now human-looking Vina exclaimed to Ron as she punched him on the shoulder, "When we suddenly lost mental contact with her like that ... !"

"Sorry V ! It was the only way !" Ron replied, rubbing his arm, "The tweebs SAID the blocker might affect Tina ! She doesn't seem all that stressed about it !"

"Well, SHE never gets very stressed about anything !" Vina replied as rubbed her arms as if she were cold, "Part of martial arts training is controlling your emotions. She does that well, but it kinda leaves me and N to do all the stressing for her."

"Well, there are two of you and one of her, so that sort of halves the drama. Right ?" Ron answered. "No offense V, but why are you looking human ? I mean, since the Unity made that broadcast, everyone on Earth KNOWS you're a Bebe."

"True." Vina replied plainly as she massaged her face, "But this isn't to fool anyone. There are billions of tactile nanosensors embedded in this synthoskin, and it's GREAT to have a refined sense of touch again !"

Ron had to think about that for a minute. "So you've been NUMB this whole time ?"

"Close to it." Vina replied, "I have a few sensors embedded in my exoskeleton, but their resolution is poor. It was like trying to feel through boxing gloves."

"VINA !" Kim shouted the moment she saw her, "Where is that kung-fu sister of yours ? I'd like to have a few words with her !"

"Yes, I'm sure you would." Vina replied coolly, "You'll have to wait your turn though. I believe your mother is still interrogating her."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 : As One With the Dust of the World***

**Scene : Kim and Ron in Middleton Mall's food court a day or so later, trying to figure out what to do next.**

"The Bebes released their Omega virus Ron !" Kim stated as she poked at her Chinese food, "That's like the second time a villain has EVER managed to get something past me because I wasn't paying enough attention !"

"Well, I don't think it's ALL your fault KP." Ron offered, "I mean, Drakken's Diablo plot only worked because it was so random. And the Unity's plot only worked because they were so darned sneaky that not even Wade knew they were around, much less up to something !"

"Yeah, but the Unity AND their virus wouldn't even exist if I had just made sure all the Bebes were destroyed when I had the chance years ago !" Kim sullenly replied.

"But if they were all destroyed years ago, then Vina and her sisters would never have been built." Ron noted.

"So ?" Kim replied, poking at her noodles, "Can't miss what never existed."

"Whoa ! Now THAT'S cold KP !" Ron replied.

"Colder than a bunch of homicidal robots infecting everyone on Earth with a fatal virus Ron ?" Kim responded, slamming a fist onto the table, "Artificials have been NOTHING but trouble ! The first Bebebots, the hyperspeed Bebes, the Destructo-bots, the Diablo 'bots, sythoclones of me, you, Rufus and Bonnie ? Erik ? The Unity and Elite Bebes ? Not a single one of them had any redeeming features whatsoever !"

Ron sipped on his soda, deep in thought before responding "Well, what about S.A.D.I. ? And Dr Freeman's other talking appliances ? Or Oliver, that robot Vivian built ?"

"Well, they're different for a couple of important reasons !" Kim replied with an exasperated sigh before counting off reasons on her fingers, "One : they aren't trying to take over the world. Two : They were built by sane people instead of Dr Drakken or other soulless robots. And three : they know their place - SERVING humans instead of trying to replace, equal or subjugate them !"

"Isn't slavery of any sort wrong KP ?" Ron asked, "I mean, anything smart enough to know what slavery is, is probably smart enough to not like it, and rebel !"

"Are you taking the Rossum's side against me AGAIN, Ron ?" Kim asked, temper beginning to flare.

"No. Not really." Ron replied as diplomatically as he could, "Just pointing out that your attitudes - although QUITE understandable given everything you've dealt with over the years - may be clouding your judgement. I mean, you once accused Yori of working for Monkey Fist ! And you tried to take down the Fashionistas_ alone _rather than let Monique help you ! If she hadn't decided to go to Milan to help you of her own accord, you would've been splattered on the pavement when your grapple line was cut A FEW STORIES UP !"

Kim mulled that over quietly for a few moments. "Well, the Rossums could be trying to take over the world - Nina only said that 'taking over the world BY FORCE' was a bad idea; she didn't say anything about the wisdom of using other methods ! Like deceit and behind the scenes manipulation ! They ARE robots after all, no matter how human they look and act.

And it had ALL been an act up until the Unity tried to grab them. It may still be an act - the kidnapping attempt may have been yet another ruse, and the Rossums could be pretending to be on our side to get in close to one of the few agencies that could stand up to the Unity to destroy it from within !

As far as we know, they could be pulling some sort of complicated septuple cross or something !"

Ron blinked a few times in amazement. "What would they have to do to convince you to give them a chance KP - DIE FOR YOU ?!"

"Why SHOULD I give them a chance Ron ?" Kim snapped back, "There's a bunch of killer robots TRYING TO EXTERMINATE THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE out there ! WHY should I believe - for even an instant - that the Rossum series of Bebebots are really any different than the others ?!

The Unity USED me like a meat puppet to hurt one of my best friends Ron !" Kim continued in a screaming whisper, "Using tech that I'm sure Nine-A understands and can replicate any time she wants !"

"Well, so could Drs Drakken, Bortal or Dementor if they put their minds to it." Ron stated in reply, "But for now, Nina and her sisters are under constant watch by GJ. It's unlikely they could get away with anything. Even if they were up to something. Besides - don't we have a world to save ?"

"Yeah." Kim replied once she calmed down, "I'm sure Wade could devise a way to cure Omega virus, IF we could find a sample of it for him to analyze !

So, all we have to do is figure out HOW the Unity spread their virus in order to track down a sample of it."

"You sure they really DID release the virus KP ?" Ron asked, "I mean, they could have lied about that to put you into a funk ! Or, to get us to waste time searching

the entire planet for a tube the size of a single soda straw !"

"The Unity is all about efficiency Ron." Kim began, "The most efficient lie would have been to claim the virus was in some deathtrap at the North pole, while the actual facility was at the South pole. Or say 'that is for us to know, and for you to force out of us !', and stay just out of reach for as long as they could. And THEN say the virus was at the North pole when interrogated !"

"So, you think that liquid metal Core defender was actually telling the truth ?" Ron asked after a few moments thought.

"More than likely." Kim replied, "Now, where could they hide a virus to ensure it gets spread as far as possible, as quickly as possible ?"

"There's a lot of places to hide a virus !" Ron noted, "Like, they could've broken into BN's manufacturing plants and slipped it into the Diablo sauce ! It could be all over the world several times over by now !"

"Well, they do have Shego's infiltration skills," Kim noted, "and the security for a place like that would be pretty light. But they'd need a lot of the virus. And that sauce is pretty noxious stuff - remember what it did to that explosive nano-tick that was stuck to my nose ?"

"Ah, right !" Ron replied, "I doubt anything could survive in that stuff for long ! Wait ! I know ! Smarty Mart items ! They receive and distribute stuff from all over the world !"

Kim cringed from a discount flashback. "True. But they'd need a LOT of virus to infect the entire Smarty Mart network. A lot more than what would fit inside a soda straw."

"Oh, right. What about money then ?" Ron offered, "There are only two places in the country that print bills, and they only use ink and paper from ONE source ! Slip the virus into the inks, and everytime someone spends cash, they transmit the virus !"

"That would be a great way to spread the virus Ron !" Kim replied, "But I doubt a virus could live through the printing process - what with all that heat and chemicals. Say, how did you know all that about money ?"

"It was on the 'Triviata !' channel last night." Ron replied with a shrug, "Just flicking through those hundreds of channels and sort of saw it mentioned."

"Ohhhkay ...." Kim answered as she looked around, hoping something would spark an idea.

Meanwhile, the waitress had come by and dropped off a few fortune cookies; Rufus made a run for them the moment her back was turned.

After breaking a cookie open, he started franctically chittering at Ron.

"What's the matter there little buddy ? Get a bad fortune ?" Ron asked once he noticed Rufus waving the slip of paper about like a small flag.

Ron took the fortune, then squinted at it. Then turned it upside down, then sideways, then held it up to the light to reverse the symbols.

"What are you doing Ron ?" Kim asked once she noticed his odd actions.

"Trying to figure out what this thing says !" Ron replied, "It looks like it's written in some sort of complex code or something !"

"It is written in Chinese, sir." the waitress replied on her return trip to the kitchen, "The manager _thought_ it would be a good idea to get authentic Chinese fortune cookies from China. So now we have case upon case of fortunes few people can read !"

Ron thought for a moment. "Wait - weren't fortune cookies invented by a Chinese chef in America, and pretty much unknown in China ?"

"Yes, but you can get nearly anything made cheaply in China nowadays." the waitress replied, "You watch the Triviata channel ?"

"Only when its on. Sometimes ...." Ron answered sheepishly, "So, do you know what this fortune says ?"

"It says 'Pay attention to the small details to see the big picture, but do not miss the big picture by staring too closely at the tiniest of brush strokes.' " the waitress noted.

"You said you have a few cases of cookies from China ?" Kim asked.

"Yes. Quite a few." the waitress replied, "They arrived last week. Would you like a few packs to go ? We have plenty to spare !"

"No, that's fine ! Thank you !" Kim replied, then holding her tongue until the waitress had moved to another table, "Ron ! I know how the Unity is spreading their virus !"

"How ? Through fortune cookies ?" he replied, "That doesn't seem much better than any of the ideas I came up with !"

"No, Ron. Not the cookies - the packing materials !" Kim replied, "Those styrofoam peanuts and such ! Companies ship stuff in it all over the world, and nobody pays any attention to it !"

"Oh, right !" Ron replied once he caught on, "Since no one would rob a factory that makes packing material, how tightly would it be guarded ? And eco-friendly companies re-use those peanuts instead of throwing them out ! One batch of that stuff could be scattered all over the world by now !"

"The Unity tapped into our shipping networks to distribute their virus for them !" Kim noted, "But the virus must be pretty spread out by now.

So, all we have to do is find a way to scan for the virus !" Kim continued, "Not every styrofoam peanut will have Omega virus on it, so we need a way to scan a LOT of them at once ! But how ?"

Kim's train of thought was interrupted by four familiar tones from her wrist Kimmunicator.

"Wade ! You're okay !" Kim squeaked out in relief when his image appeared on the tiny viewscreen.

"Yep. They let me come home a few hours ago." he replied, "Just got finished getting everything hooked up and connected !"

"I am SO sorry about everything Wade !" Kim stated.

"It's okay, Kim." Wade answered with a dismissive wave, "I figured something weird was going on when you kicked my door in !"

"I didn't hurt you too badly, did I ?" Kim asked, trying to swallow her feelings of guilt, "I mean, I never meant to hurt you ! That wasn't really me !"

"I know, and don't worry about it !" Wade replied, "Strange things happen when you're out saving the world."

Kim smiled with pure relief. "Thanks Wade. Quick question - where's the largest maker of packing materials in the US ? And can the Kimmunicator scan for Omega virus ?"

**Meanwhile, back in a conference room at GJ : **

"Where did you get that cat ?" Will Du asked Nina, "None of you brought in anything from the outside, and there are no animals in this base !"

"He's not a 'real' cat, Agent Du." Nina replied as she absent-mindedly stroked the black and white cat snoozing on her lap, "I found him in a storage locker when I was looking for tools and replacement parts - he was a rather curiousy shaped parcel !"

"Ah, that's one of our old surveillance mechs then." Will recalled, "We used them to keep watch on subjects without their knowledge. But why did you re-activate it ?"

"I needed to test some new generator/capacitor configurations." Nina replied plainly, "Even with the equipment here, I have been unable to get Dr Weaver's bioreactor cultures to grow, so I am as yet unable to rebuild a power supply for Vina. I suspect he installed a fail-safe to ensure no one could steal his experiments."

"So you mean I'm stuck plugging myself into electrical outlets to recharge instead of eating ?" Vina whined.

"I am afraid so." Nina replied, "It's not like we can call him up and ask him to send us more of the stuff that was stolen from him a year ago ! One of many reasons I don't like relying on restricted, rare or stolen technology !"

"But we're creations of mad science and stolen technology !" Vina exclaimed, "Normal tech can only go so far ! And we are far beyond normal tech !"

"Science is science, 'mad', 'normal', or otherwise." Nina replied, "And I have made some progress in translating 'mad' into 'normal' science."

"You have ?" Vina asked, "Like what ?"

"I managed to get Enkidu here to run off a small perpetual generator." Nina answered while holding up her still snoozing cat, "He doesn't have to eat, drink, or breathe, but does have to be offline - 'asleep' - for eight hours every day so his generator can recharge his systems."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Vina noted, "I could live with being offline a few hours a day ! Heck, everyone needs a few hours of sleep a night anyhow ! And not needing to consume any external resources at all beyond usual maintenance and repairs sounds GREAT !"

Nina sighed glumly. "The relationships are non-linear, I'm afraid; if I scaled them to your size and power demands, you'd have to be asleep for twenty three and a half hours a day ! Another problem is the fact that our bioreactors are small eco-systems, based on living cells. Living cells that can mutate.

I am honestly surprised they've been able to power us for as long as they have."

"So there is a good chance your bio-reactors will fail in a short time ?" Doctor Director asked.

"Yes." Nina replied "It is unlikely they will continue working for another year; I estimate total failure within six months.

We were never meant to live for very long." she continued with a shrug and a pained smile. "Vina, your 'crude' alternate power supply will keep you functional for as long as electricity is available; I suspect I will have to install a similar system within myself and Tina rather soon.

But for now, we are functioning at optimal efficiency." Nina continued as she addressed Doctor Director, "And ready, willing, and able to help you in any way we can."

"Good to know." Director replied.

"So where are Kim and Ron ?" Vina asked, "Aren't they usually at these 'save the world' briefings ? Even if they aren't running them ?"

"Last we heard, they were out searching for a sample of the Omega virus." Will answered.

"They are ?" Nina asked, "How are they going to detect the virus ?"

"Use her Kimmunicator to scan for diagnostic DNA sequences, I suppose." Will replied, "Or find a few potentially contaminated items and ask our labs to examine them."

"Well, that's great - FOR HER." Nina noted, "But that won't help determine how widely spread the virus already is. That would require massive sampling. And you need to know that in order to determine the best course of preventitive action - or even if preventive measures are even possible now."

"Yes, we know that Miss Rossum !" Will replied, "But unless someone can invent an environmental DNA scanner that can be easily mass produced, we're stuck relying on Miss Possible's tech friend and her one-of-a-kind device !"

"Relying on a single person to do everything is neither sensible nor logical." Nina noted.

"Correct on both counts, Miss Rossum." Will answered.

"Then WHY rely on Kim and Wade so much ?" Bonnie finally had to interrupt, "Nina's great at technology and engineering and stuff ! She could probably whip up a scanner in no time at all !"

Doctor Director thought about that for a moment before turning to Nina and asking "Can you invent a viral scanner that can be quickly mass produced, as Miss Rockwaller believes you can ?"

Nina quickly glanced to her sisters, who both nodded once. "Yes. The US Army currently has a device that, with a few simple modifications, will do the job. I should have a prototype, parts list and blueprints in an hour or two."

"Excellent." Director replied, "Please begin work on it then."

**Scene : GJ electronics lab, where Bonnie and Nina are working on a device.**

"So, what was that quick psychic conference with T and V about ?" Bonnie asked, earning a start from Nina.

"Don't worry - I can't listen in on those conversations because I don't have the hardware." Bonnie replied when she noted Nina's reaction, "But it's quite obvious when you three are doing that ! But you're the tech specialist, so WHY would you need to ask Vina and Tina for help ?"

"I required some assistance in resolving a logical conundrum." Nina replied as she continued working with the drafting program, "It was not a question of 'COULD I do this ?' but rather 'SHOULD I do this ?' We have to stay on Kim's good side to stay alive, but she does not seem to tolerate competence in others. By helping to save the world _without her consent_, we risk becoming her enemies.

She has already destroyed dozens of Bebes so far; what's three more ?"

"And you three decided to go ahead with it anyways ?" Bonnie replied incredulously once she got over the chills.

"Yes. In the end, Kim's insecurities are **her** problem, not ours." Nina replied, "We are under no obligation to follow her script for us, nor conform to her opinions. Nor anyone else's. For once, we shall be who WE want to be, not what others want us to be."

"That's very brave of you." Bonnie noted as she started work on another component, "Very brave, or very foolish. Or a lot of both. But I'm surprised Tina didn't have some words of ancient wisdom to cover this situation."

"Actually, she did." Nina replied with an amused chuckle, " 'Fame or integrity : which is more important ? Money or happiness : which is more valuable ? Success or failure : which is more destructive ? If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.' Or words to that effect ..."

They continue to work on quietly for a few moments before Nina asked "Are you still getting headaches around technology ?"

"No." Bonnie answered, "I think the more I learn about tech, the less effort those programs installed in my head need to figure it out, so less pain."

"Kind of like the difference in wear on a computer's hard drive when you upgrade from 256M to 2G of RAM ?" Nina asked with a slight smile.

"Yes ! I think that's ... GAAACK !! Oh God ! I'm turning into a neek !" Bonnie replied, "I can feel the food chain rolling over me as we speak !"

"A 'neek' ? What is a 'neek' ?" Nina asked.

"A mix of 'nerd' and 'geek' !" Bonnie replied, getting distressed, "I look horrible in thick glasses ! Am I turning pale and pasty yet ?"

"You ARE aware that brains and looks are not mutually exclusive, right ?" Nina asked, sounding slightly peeved.

"Have you looked at the world around you Nina ?" Bonnie replied in almost a shriek, "How many beautiful people are brilliant ? Or vice versa ?"

"Remind me to introduce you to Vivian when all of this is over." Nina replied coldy after a few moments of silence, "I suspect you two would cancel each other out."

"Vivian ? Who's Vivian ?" Bonnie asked once she calmed down, puzzled by Nina's unfriendly tone of voice.

"A robotics expert at the space center I worked with now and again." Nina replied flatly, not looking away from the computer screen, "She desperately WANTS to be taken seriously for her intellect, but her looks keep getting in the way."

Bonnie cringed once she figured out why Nina was tweaked. "I'm sorry about that whole 'neek' outburst there N ! I didn't mean to insult you ! It's just that, well, I'm still getting used to some of the unusual fallout from that whole 'former Queen of the Bebes' bit !"

"Apology accepted." Nina replied after a few tense moments. "'Tech genius' isn't your usual place in the food chain, right ?"

"Well, it's not the one I've been working for all these years !" Bonnie replied, "But I guess I'll have to deal."

**Scene : back in a GJ conference room about seventy two minutes later.**

"As promised, one easy to use bioscanner !" Bonnie stated to all present as she showed off a box the size of a deck of cards, "All it needs is a simple saliva swab to sample from people, or just a wet swipe to sample surfaces. After a few minutes for a few cycles of PCR and DNA binding analysis, it displays the results on this screen."

"A few minutes ?" Kim snorted in derision, "Wade could build something that could do all that AND give results in just a few seconds !"

"And could Mr Load's device be mass produced ?" Nina interceded as Bonnie licked an oversized Q-tip to get a sample to demonstrate with, "Scanning the entire human race one person at a time with your ONE Kimmunicator would take centuries; the Omega virus will most likely become full bore lethal within a few months. A year tops."

Kim merely growled under her breath in reply.

Will took the device from Bonnie and looked at it. "This device can be mass produced quickly ?"

"Easily !" Bonnie replied as she retrieved a flash drive from a pocket, "This has the blueprints and the parts list. Just give these files to any one of the companies listed, and you could have thousands of these within a week !"

The bioscanner emitted a loud 'ping !' to annouce that it was done.

"Let's see - all sixteen positive controls show 10/10. Sensors are working properly." Nina noted, "Negative controls - two '1s', rest '0s'. Systems reading correctly and not just detecting background DNA fragments.

Sample - three '4s', rest '3s'." Nina continued, her good mood fading quickly, "That indicates a low titer infection !"

"I'm ... INFECTED ?!" Bonnie shrieked, "but HOW ?! I haven't been out of Middleton ! Or done anything out of the ordinary for the last few days ! I haven't even done any shopping for anything !"

"Great Mary Mallon !" Nina exclaimed, getting odd looks from everyone.

"Mary Mallon. More commonly known as 'Typhoid Mary', a one-person epidemic back at the start of the 20th century. She was immune to typhus, but had a persistent infection in her gall bladder. Every family she cooked for - about a dozen or so - became infected because she didn't see the need for washing her hands."

Only response was blank looks from everyone else in the room.

"The Unity infected Kim and Ron with the Omega virus while they were inside the base." Nina continued, "They've been unknowingly spreading it everywhere they've gone since then."

"That is simply not possible !" Will stated, "They were quarantined and sprayed for infectious agents the moment they left the base ! We checked them for viruses at the first opportunity ! The tests revealed they were both perfectly healthy !"

"That should have been your first clue that something was wrong." Nina noted, "Since the Bebes don't breathe and are immune to disease, they kept the base full of toxic gases and low titers of Omega virus so that any humans that broke in would become agents of their own destruction. Walking out of a base full of toxic gases and biohazards with DAMAGED protective gear and still be healthy ? Simply not possible. Even for Kim and Ron."

"And since Kim and Ron insist on travelling all over the world to help people, they would do the Unity's job for them !" Vina noted, "All the Unity would have to do to spread the virus is simply keep stealing items they need ! Kim would go in to investigate, infecting everyone at the site !"

"They turned the world's saviour into its unwitting destroyer. Most efficient !" Nina noted.

"Oh, PLEASE !" Kim interrupted, "Do you SERIOUSLY expect anyone to buy into that lame story ? It's awfully convenient !"

"What are YOU complaining about ?!" Bonnie exclaimed, "I'M infected with a fatal disease ! I only have a few months to live !"

"Only if you believe Nina !" Kim growled in reply, "She could be making this whole thing up to keep me locked away in quarantine somewhere so the Unity 'bots can run amok outside !"

Nina's left eye twitched slightly. "I have no desire to help the Unity 'bots that are out to RECYCLE ME and my sisters !" she exclaimed, "Nor any desire to distress Bonnie in any way ! This is our world too, Miss Possible. We have to live in it just like everyone else."

"RiiIIiiIIIiight !" Kim replied before employing maximum snark, "So tell me - just HOW did GJ supposedly miss me and Ron being infected ?"

Nina thought for a moment. "The nanobots in your blood ! When the Unity took you and Ron over, it had its nanobots sequester the virus in your tissues. Nothing short of a complete scan of every molecule in your bodies would have found them. Once you were given a clean bill of health, the Unity simply ordered the nanobots to release the viruses they were carrying to start an infection."

"Well, okay, that SOUNDS kinda plausible ..." Kim replied, "but I'm not ready to buy it yet !"

"Oh good grief !" Vina exclaimed, "What would it take to convince you that she's telling the truth ?"

"A bioscan from Wade ! Him I'll trust !" Kim replied as she activated her Kimmunicator.

"This. Is. HORRIBLE !!" Bonnie stammered, "I don't want to die !"

"Well, there is some good news." Nina offered, "The virus was designed to be asymptomatic for months, to ensure it was quickly and widely spread. And all that is needed to develop a vaccine is a sample of the actual virus. Which you and the heroic duo over there currently have."

"BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE BLED OUT OUR DISSECTED !" Bonnie shrieked, "I like my blood right where it is right now !"

"I can assure you that such drastic actions will not be required Miss Rockwaller." Doctor Director interjected, "We just need to call in some more bioengineers and biogeneticists to look at the virus. It may have an exploitable weakness or two."

Meanwhile, Wade had just completed his bioscan of Kim and Ron.

"Well, according to my scans, both you and Ron are infected with Omega virus !" Wade replied after a few quiet moments.

"PLEASE tell me you can do something about this Wade !" Kim shrieked as quietly as she could.

"I'll see what I can do !" Wade replied, "I know a few biogeneticists that owe me a favor or two. I'll get back to you as soon as I know something !"

"Thanks Wade !" Kim replied before signing off.

"This is a pretty heavy sitch KP !" Ron noted, "You sure the Wademan can come through in time ?"

"He always has before Ron !" Kim replied, "He cured me of that pollen that was making me vanish. And he did come up with a way to turn me back into a human when the Monkey King's amulet almost turned me into a monkey ! So I'm sure he can come up with something to get rid of a simple little virus !"

**Later, in the GJ Infirmary : **

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it Miss Rockwaller ?" the technician asked as he rubbed a cotton swab on the spot he'd taken a blood sample from.

"You SURE that's all you'll need, right ?" Bonnie asked suspiciously, certain they were going to come back and take far more at some later time.

"We have some of the most advanced medical tech on the planet." he answered before turning to leave, "This is more than enough blood to run every conceivable test and analysis we have."

Bonnie sat on the side of the bed in contemplative silence before looking at the silver bracelet on her right wrist.

"I could tell these nanobots to go in and destroy any viruses they find in my bloodstream." Bonnie noted to Nina.

"True. But given their scale and numbers, it would take a month for them to hunt down and kill all circulating viruses." Nina replied quietly, "But new viral particles are being produced all the time. And your nano-cure wouldn't help anyone else currently infected. In the end, you would be the only human left on Earth."

"But there has GOT to be a better solution !" Bonnie cried, "Wait a minute ! The Bebes didn't invent their Omega virus ! They originally stole that data from Team Impossible, who copied it from someone that stole it from some lab somewhere ! We just have to find the guy who INVENTED the virus in the first place ! If anyone

would already have a vaccine, he would !"

"True. But even that is no guarantee - vaccines have a rather short shelf life, and we don't even know of the original virus was ever made in the first place." Nina replied, "And the Unity has most likely altered it from its original state."

"So, even if the guy that invented the Omega virus had a vaccine, it probably wouldn't work against what I got ?" Bonnie asked tremulously.

"Sadly, no." Nina replied, "I am sorry. I wish I could be of more help to you. Or at least of more comfort."

"Wanting to help is more than enough Nina." Bonnie replied, "You SURE you can't figure out how this virus works to cure it ?"

"Well, virology is quite a bit out of my fields of robotics and AI programming," Nina replied, "but I will see what I can do."

_A few hours later, Kim and Ron were nearly knocked over by a lab tech running from an auditorium - moments before a tossed chair hit the wall._

"Hey !! You want to get back here and repeat that TO MY FACE ?!" Nina yelled at the rapidly retreating figure.

"Sister, PLEASE calm down !" Tina told her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down ?!" Nina replied, eyes blazing with the hellish red Bebebot glow as the various other groups of scientists and technicians in the large open room looked on, "I installed and hooked up every computer in this room AND set up the most secure file sharing and comm protocols the world has ever seen for the express purpose of stopping a lethal virus - AND HE WAS USING THEM TO PLAY EVERLOT !"

"Humans occassionally goof off." Tina replied, "It is in their nature. Especially when they are under stress. Taking a break on occassion helps keep the mind fresh.

But I suspect that is not what bothered you most, is it ?"

"No." Nina growled in response, "One of the few humans that I actually LIKE on this whole whirling ball of dirt is dying from a horrid disease, and he was wasting time goofing off !"

"You are of no use to anyone in this state." Tina replied coolly, "And how would Bonnie feel about seeing you like this ?"

Nina slammed both fists onto a folding table covered with reams of data before taking a few deep breaths. "Damn these emotions !" she muttered as she regained her composure.

"So, I guess you've made some progress figuring this virus out ?" Ron asked, hiding behind a glowering Kim.

"I had to look up a lot of stuff, and have some rather headache inducing conferences with scientists all over the world," Nina replied as she quickly hammered on a keyboard and pulled out a laser pointer, "and tap into a few rather restricted databases, but yes."

With that, a giant projection screen began displaying everything currently known about the Omega virus.

"If you don't mind, I'm getting Wade in on this !" Kim announced as she activated her Kimmunicator to set up a teleconference.

Nina waited a few moments for Wade to respond to Kim's call before starting to talk.

"As you can see, the Omega virus is a tube of proteins coiled around its DNA genome." Nina began, pointing to what looked like a long, bumpy rod with bits sticking off here and there, "These multimeric blocks of protein protect it from the environment, meaning it can remain outside of a host for weeks at a time.

And, since its normal route of delivery is out through the sweat glands, lungs, and mucous membranes, merely touching the same surfaces an infected person did, or inhaling microscopic droplets expelled through normal breathing is enough to contract it.

Once it comes in contact with certain proteins expressed on epithelial cells, the tube unwinds and injects the virus' DNA into the cell." she continued as a large open circle with a blob covering one free end was displayed on the screen, "The virus has a telomeric fuse - it replicates itself about once every week, but every time it replicates, the uncapped end shortens slightly. Once enough of it is chopped off, promoters are uncovered and the virus begins replicating rapidly. Since it remains at low levels inside cells, the immune system can't find it until its later rampant replication kicks in."

"So what does that blob on the other end do ?" Kim asked, sure she wasn't going to like the answer.

"Export protein." Nina replied, "Proteins in the cell bind to that, and transport the virus directly into any cells touching the infected one. It ensures there is only one virus per cell because as the virus replicates, it is exported to other cells. So eventually every skin cell in the body is harboring at least one Omega viroid before the countdown finishes.

The lethal phase of the virus kicks in once it reaches a high enough titer after the rampant reproduction phase." Nina continued as Wade checked the data, "The lethal form targets endothelial and certain hemopoeitic cells, and express siRNA targeted against several vital genes, promoted by a quorum sensor."

"Err, yeah." Ron stated looking rather lost, "Pretend we don't know what any of that means !"

"Endothelial cells are the ones that line your arteries and veins, Ron." Nina explained, "Hemopoeitic cells make blood cells. A quorum sensor activates a gene complex only when there is sufficient signal. And siRNA induces the cell to destroy specific mRNAs, preventing the expression of the targeted proteins."

Thanks to dealing with scientists of all sorts over the years, Kim figured out what all that meant. "So the virus causes a human's circulatory system to fall apart and leak all at once, right ?"

"Exactly." Nina replied, looking rather ill, "A victim's skin will become as thin and easily torn as tissue paper, their blood won't clot, and will leak from every pore as arteries rupture from the slightest stress. Oddly enough, the lethal phase is not overly contagious - you'd have to inject infected blood directly into your veins to catch it."

"Well, gee, THAT'S really comforting !" Kim stated through clenched teeth, "but NONE of that tells us how to stop it !"

"Actually, it does." Nina replied, "Omega virus may be lethal and easily spread initially, but it is still just a virus; there is nothing magical about out. Any procedure that prevents the spread of flu or cold viruses can slow its spread down as well. Its protein coat is tough, but not impervious. Even as we speak technicians all over the world are checking to see what it takes to kill it."

"Say, we're not looking at a world-wide zombie rampage, are we ?" Ron asked, "This virus doesn't have any other surprises, does it ?"

"No, Ron. There will be no zombie rampage." Nina answered, "That would require a specifically designed virus, and the Unity had neither the time nor the skill to develop something like that. You and Kim really put a dent in their plans, so they had to rush this virus out. All it does is kill. In a needlessly gruesome way."

"_That is more than enough !"_ Kim groused to herself before turning to Wade's image on her Kimmunicator and asking "So, get all that Wade ?"

"Yeah. From what I can tell, she covered it." he replied, "This is a pretty nasty virus !"

"Any idea about how far the virus managed to spread yet ?" Kim asked.

"Labs all over the world started checking various forms of packing material as you and Ron suggested." Wade replied, "They found quite a few contaminated batches, and are starting to set up quarantine and isolation procedures. If they can track it down fast enough, they may be able to halt further direct infection."

"Did you manage to find a cure ?" Ron asked, "There must be something out there that can help !"

"Actually, there is." Wade replied as a holographic picture of a showy flower appeared before them, "This is the rare _Benetricium_ orchid. Found only in the deepest of the Sumatran jungles. Its pollen and sap are the most effective anti-virals ever seen !"

"Coolio !" Ron exclaimed, "Just a short trek through a jungle and we're cured !"

"Such a trek would be a waste of time." Nina stated flatly.

"Ah HA !! I knew you were secretly out to get us !" Kim exclaimed, "Why else would you say that trying to get that plant is a waste of time ?!"

Nina sighed. "Because that orchid is one of the rarest flowers on Earth ! There are only enough of them to cure two, maybe three people.

There are, by best estimates, over thirty five THOUSAND people currently infected with Omega virus, with more every hour." she continued, "All your little trek would do is fulfill the Unity's promise that you die last. YOUR lives would be spared, but only at the cost of everyone else's !"

"Well, if labs all over the world are finding samples of the virus, they should be able to whip up a vaccine in no time at all !" Kim stated triumphantly.

"Do you truly believe it will be that easy, Miss Possible ?" Nina asked, sounding rather despondent, "Pharmaceutical companies are already working at maximum capacity as it is, and diverting effort away from their usual work risks a pandemic from currently raging viruses. And even if they could safely divert effort, it will take some real amount of time to produce enough of the vaccine to be of use. And that's not even considering the logisitical nightmare of distributing it to everyone on Earth in time even if they could make enough !"

"And your plan is what again ?" Kim asked, starting to sound rather tweaked.

"Cowpox !" Nina replied.

Ron looked confused for a moment before stating "You know, you _really_ need to work on your exclamations there N !"

"That is how a vaccine can be spread quickly worldwide Ron - an immunizing virus !" Nina replied.

"What ?!" Kim interjected, "Are you serious ? You want to INFECT everyone on the planet with yet ANOTHER engineered virus ?!"

"It could work like Jenner's original smallpox vaccine !" Nina replied, stepping back from Kim, "Over two hundrerd years ago, Jenner noted that people that contracted the harmless cowpox virus did not contract the deadlier smallpox virus. All that needs to be done is produce a harmless but highly contagious viruses that expresses parts of a few key Omega virus proteins. This way, the vaccine replicates and distributes itself. People get infected with the immunizing virus and produce antibodies against Omega virus proteins. Thus the Omega virus plot can be foiled before it can even get started."

Kim gave her a sour look. "And you SERIOUSLY expect people to go along with that plan ?!"

"It is one of several options up for consideration." Doctor Director interjected, "The world _does_ have resources beyond your efforts Kim."

"But how do you know that 'immunizing virus' wouldn't be the trigger that activates the Omega virus ?" Kim asked, "It would be just like the Unity to trick us into zapping ourselves with something a so-called ally developed !"

"We've analyzed the entire genome of every available sample of the Omega virus, Kim." Doctor Director replied, "It has no surprises like that."

"You're actually going to trust something a killer robot came up with ?" Kim asked.

Tina winced before Vina spoke up with "Excuse me ? 'Killer robots' ? I haven't killed anyone ! None of us have ! What are you getting at ?"

"Your sister there said that 'taking over the world _by force_' is a bad idea," Kim replied, leaning in close, "but she never actually said you three weren't interested in taking over the world !"

"Actually, I HAVE !" Nina interrupted, "And so have Tina and Vina ! Evil is not conducive to long term stability. I rather like stability."

Kim glowered at her. "You seem to be a bit confused NINE-A. Saving the world ? That's MY thing ! Not yours !

You want to help ? FINE ! Go rescue cats from trees. Or help people rebuild their houses ! But leave the *BIG* stuff to me !"

"And just why should we do that ?" Nina replied in a dismissive tone, "We don't need your permission OR consent to do anything Miss Possible !

We are willing and able to help, so we're helping in any way we see fit - _whether you like it or not _!"

Kim responded like she'd just been slapped upside the head.

"This 'sitch' is beyond your usual talents." Vina stepped in, "Beating up the Unity will not stop the virus, nor is there anything for you to destroy or recover. Your usual 'punch out the bad guy, save the world !' routine simply will not work this time !

Do you SERIOUSLY believe that you can - and MUST - solve all the world's problems all by yourself ?"

"Of course not !" Kim sneered in reply, "Ron and Wade can help ! And GJ sometimes !"

"But no one else can, right ?" Vina asked smugly.

"Yes ! Er, I mean NO !" Kim replied, tensing her fists.

"So, how do you and your thrall Wade intend to save the world from the Omega virus ?" Vina inquired, "Build some kind of 'funky ray thing' and zap everyone from a satellite he hacked into ? Or try to quick clone the world's supply of _Benetricium_ orchid pollen AFTER he uses all of it to save you and Ron first, then somehow expose everyone else on the planet whenever he can get around to it ?"

"I don't know !" Kim replied, glaring at Vina, "It doesn't matter ! HE'LL figure something out ! He always has before !"

Tina and Ron shared a glance, then started to edge in a bit closer in case a physical altercation broke out; most everyone else backed away.

"Well, until Wade comes up with a plan you approve of, how about we go with Nina's or GJ's plan, and just tell everyone that it was all you at a press conference ?" Vina needled at Kim, "Or report that the vaccine was developed from your blood and no one else's ? That way, everyone gets what they want : the world is saved from the Omega virus, and you get all the credit and glory for saving the world single-handedly. You get to be the Most Glorious Saviour of All, and everyone else that helped can just rot in your shadow !

Just the way you like it !"

"WHAT is your problem 'Lavinia' ?" Kim growled through clenched teeth.

"You, mostly." Vina replied plainly, "My sister is trying to help SAVE LIVES, and you're accusing her of trying to end the world ! What's up with that ? Paranoid much ?"

"Paranoid ? It's not paranoia when there ARE people out there trying to get you !" Kim replied tersely.

"But none of them are currently in this room 'Kimberly' !" Vina replied just as tersely, "Nina is trying to help ..."

"Well, that is what she CLAIMS !" Kim replied, leaning in even closer, "That hasn't been verified yet !"

Vina swears under her breath. "How do people put up with your insufferable arrogance ?! We could spend the rest of our lives doing everything you asked of us to prove we're not evil, and in the end it would never be enough, would it ?

There would ALWAYS be 'just one more test', always just 'one more hoop' we are expected to jump through, WOULDN'T THERE ?!" she continued, practically screaming in Kim's face, "We'd be under YOUR thumb the rest of our lives ! Our world would revolve around you ! 'What can we do to appease Kim Possible ?' " Vina wheedled, " 'How must we act, what must we think and feel to appease Kim Possible ?'

That is not living; that is merely existing. Why must WE settle for being second class citizens ? Why must WE be the ones to bend over backwards ? Why must WE be the ones to conform to YOUR standard, heh ?"

Ron and Tina readied themselves to leap into the fray to seperate Kim and Vina if it became necessary.

Noting them tensing up out of the corner of her eye, Vina stepped back from Kim. "So, rather than attempting the impossible by playing by your rules that ensure we cannot win, we've decided to use an alternate strategy."

"Which would be what ?" Kim asked, keeping an eye on Vina.

"Screw trying to fit in !" Nina interrupted with a Chesire cat grin.

Ron looked shocked. Kim gaped like a hooked fish. Tina chuckled. Vina smiled. Will raised an eyebrow. The agent listening in through a hidden microphone spewed coffee all over his monitor.

"We shall be who WE choose to be, not who others want us to be _or think we are_." Nina continued, glaring at Kim.

"Now wait just a minute here !" Ron exclaimed, "Robots aren't supposed to act like that ! Once you've evolved beyond being emotionless killers, you're supposed to be all mopey and depressed because you're not human ! Then try real hard to become human, or be accepted by them ! Like Sonny in 'I, Robot' ! Or David in 'A.I. : Artificial Intelligence' ! Or Data from 'Star Trek : TNG !"

"You just proved her point Ron !" Vina noted, "You PRESUMED we would conform to YOUR ideas. You actually expect an artelect to feel depressed because it isn't human ? Makes as much sense as expecting a banana slug to feel depressed because it's not a trout !

We are not human; why must we pretend to be something we are not ?" she continued.

"But all those sci-fi stories ..." Ron replied.

"... were written by humans, for humans." Nina interrupted, "With the core assumption that being human in the greatest thing in the universe, and being different from human is something to be ashamed of.

'Different' is not wrong or evil or inferior; 'different' is not something that needs to be corrected or destroyed. Would you expect a meat-based alien to conform to HUMAN standards ? Or feel inadequate because they're Martians or Vulcans or Klingons or Lorwardians instead of Earthlings ?"

"We aren't trying to compete with our upstage you or anyone else Kim !" Vina stated, "We're just trying to make our own way in this world the best way we can. There is more than enough trouble in the world to go around !"

Kim wanted to respond, but stormed off because she was too angry to form coherent sentences just yet.

"And by the way Kim," Nina stated before Kim got too far away, "An immunizing virus is but ONE of several ideas that can be used. Poisoning the quorum sensor with a binding agent so the lethal phase never gets underway is another viable strategy. Chemical synthesis is much faster than vaccine production, once enough time is spent finding an effective compound that is. Did your quest for the golden spirit stick teach you nothing ?"

"What ?" Kim asked, stopped cold by the sudden change of topic.

"This is not a 'winner takes all' contest, Kim." Tina added, "There is no reason why we must use only one strategy. Tackling the problem from as many angles as possible grants the greatest chance of success."

**Later, in the Possible house : **

"Something wrong with the meatloaf Kimmie ?" Mrs Possible asked once she noticed that Kim had done nothing but poke at her dinner.

"No, dinner is great as always Mom !" Kim replied, "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Like what ?" Mrs Possible inquired, "Flashbacks from being under control of those robots ?"

"No. Nothing like that Mom." Kim answered, "All that time I spent under Unity control just seems like a faint memory now. All that's left is just vague images, and a few errant feelings. Nothing big."

"Then what is bothering you so much Kimmie ?"

"The Rossums are definitely Bebebots !" Kim replied, slamming a fist onto the table, "They're just as arrogant as every other one we've met ! And that Vina OBVIOUSLY got most of her personality from Bonnie !"

"And that's something to fret over why ?" Anne asked.

"Mom !" Kim cried, "Is EVERYBODY taking their side against me today ? I'm trying to save the world like I always do !"

"So who is trying to stop you Kimmie ?" Mrs Possible asked, trying to calm Kim down, "I'm pretty sure GJ isn't standing in your way."

"One of those robots - Nina - is trying to get some credit for saving the world !" Kim replied.

Mrs Possible looked confused for a moment. "How does that stop _you_ from saving the world honey ? Why does it matter who gets the credit, as long as lives are saved ? And, if she really did the work, why _shouldn't_ she get some credit for it ?"

"Because she's not doing good because its the right thing to do Mom !" Kim replied, "She's only doing it to stay on everyone's good side ! Purely for selfish and mercenary reasons !"

"And you know this how ?" Anne inquired.

"Isn't it obvious ?!" Kim answered, "The Rossums were built by evil, soulless robots ! So how could they POSSIBLY know or understand what goodness is ?"

"Well, you did say Vina had a lot of Bonnie's personality. I know how you feel about Bonnie, but Bonnie **is** human." Anne replied calmly, "And these 'Rossums' seem able to learn. I had a long talk with the one called 'Tina' earlier today once she and Ron got you safely back from Japan."

"You did ?!" Kim asked "About what ?"

"About her and her sister's motives." Anne replied, "What they plan on doing after all this is over. What, specifically, she did to you to keep you unconscious until Bonnie could get those nanobots out of your brain. How does that bruise feel ?"

Kim had to think for a moment, since she didn't feel anything aching. "_Oh, right ! Tina hit me with some sort of weird kung-fu attack _!" Kim recalled once she lifted up her shirt a bit, and noticed a long, narrow bruise just under her ribcage on her left side. "Looks far worse than it feels Mom.

But why are you and everyone else willing to give them the benefit of the doubt ?" Kim continued, "How do you know they aren't up to something ?"

"There's a fine line between caution and paranoia Kim." Mrs Possible replied as diplomatically as she could, "I'm sure you could handle anything they could dish out. So stop fretting so much ! It just isn't good for you."

"But how do you KNOW they aren't up to something ?" Kim continued.

"Well, those Unity robots are all into efficiency, right ?" Anne asked, and Kim nodded in reply. "If the Rossums were working for the Unity, the most efficient thing for them to do would have been to have Tina get rid of Ron while they were both in Japan trying to recover you. Then the Unity would still have control over you, and Tina could have returned to spread some misinformation and kidnap Hana once Ron was out of the way."

Kim wanted to object, but realized that her mother was absolutely right. Then recalled that the Unity could twist anything to their advantage ...

"The Unity is going to go into hiding while we deal with their virus !" Kim exclaimed as she stood up, "They're going to use their foiled pandemic as a diversion while they get set to do something else !"

############

* Tao Te Ching 56 :

Become one with the dust of the world

This is called 'The Secret Embrace'

One who knows this secret

Is not moved by attachment or aversion

Swayed by profit and loss

Nor touched by honor and disgrace

He is far beyond the cares of others.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 : An Adamantium Ceiling**

"Well, using a world-wide pandemic _as a diversion _does sound like something the Unity would try." Wade noted to Kim on her Kimmunicator while she reclined on her bed in thought, "That forces everyone to focus their attention on stopping it, making it easier for the Unity to do whatever else they have planned.

But the big question is 'What else does the Unity have planned ?' They have quite a few options at this point."

"True, but given the defeats and losses they've been suffering lately, their best bet would be to increase their numbers." Kim answered, "They are powerful, but there is only so much a dozen or so robots can do. No point in having a perfect strategy if there aren't enough 'bots to get it done !"

"Good point Kim." Wade replied, "I'll keep an eye out for any thefts of electronic or robotic parts, no matter how small or trivial. And since we know the Unity's hiding strategy, I'll also look for any reports of activity near abandoned mines, factories, missile silos, and any unusual amounts of radio or electronic activity. It shouldn't be long until we get a lead to their current lairs."

"I sure hope so Wade !" Kim replied glumly, "It would be great to stop them _permanently_ for a change !"

"We do the best we can. I'll call back when I got something." Wade stated before signing off.

"_Wade was right_." Kim noted to herself, "_With everyone's attention focused on stopping the Omega virus, the Unity will have an easier time doing just about anything !_

_They're into perfection and efficiency. So what task would be the easiest with everyone being so distracted _?" Kim mused to herself until she realized what job would benefit most : espionage.

"_Spies would have a much easier time of it now than before_." Kim noted, "_And there are three potential spies hanging out in GJ's local headquarters _!

_But I don't have any evidence the Rossums are up to something ! DANG ! If I could prove they were spies, I could get rid of them and focus on what I'm doing; if I was sure they really were on the up and up, I wouldn't be stressing out about them !_

_There has GOT to be a way to find out for sure, one way or the other_ !" Kim ranted before she remembered that there WAS a way, and began rummaging through her desk drawers to find it.

-------

"_Well, Vina's easy to track _!" Ron noted to himself as he followed the faint sounds of music through the GJ base.

But instead of the usual violins or pianos or organs playing classical music, he heard the howl of electronic guitars and drums belting out heavy metal.

And going by the quality of the vocalist, he figured that Nina wasn't the one singing.

After a few moments he was able to peek inside the Rossum's quarters, and saw that it was Vina doing the singing, and was able to make out the lyrics that weren't being drowned out by the multiple guitars :

"_Doesn't Matter What You See_

_Or into it What You Read_

_You Can Do it Your Own Way_

_If It's Done Just How I Say_

_Independence Limited_

_Free-dom_

_of Choice Is Made for You My Friend_

_Free-dom_

_of Speech Is Words That They Will Bend_

_Free-dom _

_with Their Exceptions_"

Ron noticed that Tina was able to maintain her meditation through all that noise as Vina started into a complex guitar instrumental - alongside three holographic duplicates of herself while pulsing spheres of pink light spiraled about as they sounded out the drum track.

"Something we can help you with Ron ?" Nina asked, speaking loud enough to get over the music.

"Yes !" Ron replied, "WHAT is she singing ? And you three have GOT to stop this feud with KP ! It's getting way out of hand !"

"The song is Metallica's _Eye of the Beholder_ Ron." Nina replied, "V's been a bit tense of late, and needed to blow off some steam.

As to this 'feud' with Kim ? What are we supposed to do about it ? How do we stop a feud WHEN WE AREN'T EVEN DOING ANYTHING ?" Nina asked, "We weren't the ones that started this 'feud', and we're NOT the ones keeping it going. It is all in Kim's head. The only 'wrong' we're doing is being who we are and NOT who she wants - or NEEDS - us to be !"

"And just when did she say she wanted you to do any of that ?" Ron asked crabbily.

"Actions speak truer than words, Ron." Vina stated as soon as she stopped playing, "The sooner she realizes that, the better. How _does_ one make a paranoid feel safe ?"

Before Ron could muster a response, Tina asked "Why the need for us to end the 'feud' right this minute ? Has something happened ?"

"No. Nothing major - YET !" Ron replied, "But this constant bickering has got Kim wound up pretty tight ! She can't think straight anymore ! Earlier today, we fell into a pool of quicksand we should've seen a mile away ! That's never happened to us before !"

Nina sighed. "You and Kim went after that orchid, didn't you ?" Ron nodded in reply, then a very unhappy looking Tina handed Vina twenty dollars with the gravely somber air of handing over a family home.

"You DO know that, somewhere in the world, a botanist will be very angry with you two for sacrificing _an entire species _just to save your own hides, right ?" Nina inquired.

"Hey, no fair !" Ron stammered back, "We HAVE to save Kim's life ! She's the world's ONLY hope!". Tina hands Vina another ten dollars, looking more depressed.

"So, you think Wade is smarter and wiser than every scientist on the planet put together ?" Nina asked.

"Yes ! Er, I mean, no !" Ron replied, provoking Tina to hand over another ten dollars to Vina.

"Okay, now what's up with those two ?" Ron had to ask Nina.

"They had some bets going." Nina replied plainly, "Tina _thought_ you two would do the heroic and noble thing and delegate some responsibility. In other words, let someone else do something useful or important for once.

She was wrong.

Every scientist on the planet is working on a cure for the Omega virus, yet you two went for the quick fix !

By going for the _Benetricium_ orchid, you demonstrated that you had absolutely NO FAITH in anyone else to get the job done.

You insulted every researcher in that room by your selfish actions. So Vina won those bets."

"You bet AGAINST KP ?!" Ron yelled at Vina.

"No. Not against KP." Vina replied, "FOR the rest of the world in general Ron. I take no pleasure in winning those bets."

"Well, then what the heck were we supposed to do ?!" Ron inquired loudly, "KP, me, and Wade have saved this world more times than we can count ! We never needed much help from anyone else before ! The best way to save the world has always been to keep Kim safe ! It's always worked for us before, so why should we do anything different now ?"

"Because the Unity is competent, and nothing like the twits and buffoons you've always faced before ?" Vina offered.

"Because this sitch is beyond the power and abilities of any one person to solve ?" Nina offered.

"What is Kim going to do - shout her catchphrase to the skies and beat the Omega virus _by hand _?" Vina asked, "Face facts Ron - Kim cannot do it all alone this time ! She has to get over herself and ACCEPT help from others for once !"

"Accepting help from others is NOT an admission of failure or weakness." Tina stated, "There actually ARE things beyond even Kim's direct influence and control."

Ron glowered at them for a moment, then realized that they were right. "This sitch is pretty big, and we could use all the help we can get ! But this isn't going to be easy for Kim - she's a perfectionist and a bit of a control freak and ..."

Ron slapped his forehead when he figured it out. "That was the Unity's plan this whole time, wasn't it ? Keeping Kim majorly tweaked is the only way to keep her out of their way and beatable without killing her !"

"Well, nothing tweaks a control freak more than someone REFUSING to be controlled." Nina replied, "So yes, that was part of their plan. They knew we would not submit to Kim's domination. And how Kim would react to that."

Vina looked annoyed before handing Tina twenty dollars (who was too depressed to accept it). Tina trudged towards their quarters, while Vina followed to try to comfort her.

"Okay, so what was the bet THAT time ?" Ron asked Nina.

"Tina thought you two would figure out the Unity's plot to keep Kim distracted with fighting her own insecurites and paranoia on your own eventually; Vina figured we'd have to post it on billboards in huge neon letters all over town and hire a skywriter before you'd figure it out."

"You couldn't have just TOLD US what the Unity was up to ?" Ron asked, fearing the standard 'this _is_ our way of telling you' response.

"Would Kim have believed us if we merely told her ?" Nina inquired, "Or given her present mental state, just assume it was some kind of trick ?"

"Well, okay, if you put it that way ...." Ron muttered in reply.

"The most efficient way to defeat a powerful but irrational opponent is to turn its power against itself." Nina stated, "The only person that could defeat Kim Possible - **is** Kim Possible.

Forming a plan against her was quite simple : perfectionists have no faith in others, and control freaks are unable to trust. So the Unity merely had to turn those facets of Kim's personality against her. In this case, by giving her something irrelevant to their plans to worry about.

How can Kim figure out what the Unity is up to if she's too busy second, third, fourth or fifth guessing herself ? Or wasting effort trying to uncover a plot that does not exist ?"

"Okay, now that's just wrongsick !" Ron scowled once he got it, "They **know** that Kim can be very focused and determined ! And once Kim gets an idea that something is up, she'll keep digging until she finds what she's looking for ! If she doesn't find anything, she'll just assume it was hidden really well and start digging ever harder !"

"And could anyone convince her there really is nothing there to find ?" Nina inquired.

"Well, maybe." Ron replied after thinking a bit. "If someone she really trusts told her, she might."

"She's a control freak Ron." Nina replied tensely, "Control freaks cannot trust others - that's WHY they insist on doing everything themselves. And why they feel it is NECESSARY for them to do everything themselves - they don't trust anyone else to do anything right.

Sadly, she who cannot trust, cannot be trusted." Nina finished, "That's one reason why we decided to not even bother TRYING to appease Kim anymore."

"So, you're NOT going to stop this feud with Kim, are you ?" Ron asked with a heavy sigh.

"As I stated before Ron, we did not start this feud." Nina replied over her shoulder as she turned to walk away, "And unless you consider refusing to kowtow before Kim Possible a 'hostile action', we are not the ones keeping it going.

We have no grudge against Kim Possible - she saved Vina's life, and brought all of us to GJ for safe keeping ! We have no need or desire to plot against her or anybody."

Nina sighed deeply before continuing "Sadly, as this feud exists only in Kim's head, it will continue for as long as SHE wants it to continue. It is as simple as that."

Ron only had a few moments to mull that over before Kim rounded the corner in front of them.

"Hey KP ! So, did you manage to get the smell of that swampy quicksand out of your hair ?" he asked cautiously.

Kim groaned. "It took half a bottle of shampoo and nearly an hour of scrubbing, but yes."

She turned to Nina and asked "So, Nine-A, ahm, Nina ? Can I have a word with you please ?" as nicely as she could.

Nina looked at her warily. "I suppose so. What can I do for you ?"

"THINK FAST !" Kim shouted as she slapped the neurocompliance chip she'd kept from a long ago mission onto Nina's forehead.

Nina stood there mutely, tense and twitching as the chip attempted to override her artificial brain.

Then the twitching quickly became tremors, then violent convulsions as Nina dropped to the floor as her sisters began screaming in pain elsewhere in the base !

"KIM ! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER ?!" Ron shrieked.

"This wasn't supposed to happen Ron !" Kim squeaked in reply.

"Then STOP IT ! NOW !" Ron shouted, not sure what he could do as guards and GJ agents starting filling the corridor.

"On it !" Kim replied as she whipped out her brothers' old portable silicon phase disruptor and repeatedly pushed the red button.

Once the chip was deactivated, Nina's seizures quieted down. Small wisps of smoke curled up from her ears and nose, and her eyes (still wide open in surprise) had turned black and leaked a stream of oily ash-filled tears.

"Get her to the robotics lab stat !" Doctor Director commanded the agents pulling a gurney, "And contact Miss Rockwaller !"

Doctor Director turned to glare at Kim. "Care to explain what you were doing ?"

"I swear that wasn't supposed to happen !" Kim stammered in reply, "She wasn't supposed to be hurt !"

"Be that as it may Miss Possible, I can't let that sort of behaviour go unpunished." Doctor Director replied before turning to the closest agent. "Agent Threader, please escort Miss Possible to the brig."

"The brig ? Why ? She said she was sorry !" Ron stated, getting between Kim and the agent.

"Her being sorry is of no relevance right now, Ron." Doctor Director replied flatly, "The Rossums are under the protective custody of Global Justice; what aspect of 'protective' do you not understand ?"

"Wait - I thought 'protective custody' was just code for 'house arrest' !" Ron replied.

"Where did you ever get that idea ?" Dr Director inquired, "If the Rossums were under arrest, they would have been taken to the brig the moment we brought them here. And kept in shackles and accompanied by armed guards everywhere they went instead of being allowed some freedom of movement inside the base.

Because of the novelty of this situation, they are considered useful defectors. And we do NOT treat useful defectors as criminals."

"But why arrest Kim ? After all the times she's helped you !" Ron shot back.

"Are you implying that Kim should be exempt from federal, state and international laws ?" Director inquired, "That she should be allowed to do whatever she wants, to whoever she wants, any time she wants ?"

"Well, no, not really ..." Ron meekly replied.

"Assault is assault, no matter who does it Ron." Director answered plainly, "Kim has done much good for the world. And that will certainly count in her favor IF charges are pressed. But for now, I think it would be best if she went to her cell and stayed there quietly for a bit. At least until we get this mess sorted out."

Ron wanted to object, but Kim told him not to.

_A few hours later, they had to face down a livid Bonnie Rockwaller._

"You two are SO lucky that I know how to repair Bebebots !" she stated, shaking with barely suppressed rage, "Otherwise, I would be VERY angry with you two !"

"So, Nina will be okay then ?" Ron managed to ask, trying to keep as far from her as he could.

"Yes, she will." Bonnie replied coldly before fixing her gaze on Kim, "It's a good thing that Nina's brains are in her torso and not in her head - your little stunt only shorted out all of her sensory circuits !

So congrats K ! You rendered her deaf, blind, mute, anosmic and insensate ! The backfeed from so much electromagnetic current destroyed some neural links all the way into her brain, so she's lost memory of the last two days !"

Bonnie took a few deep breaths as she took off her grimy latex gloves. "Fortunately, GJ had a few old dismantled Bebebot drones in a secure warehouse for study; I used them for spare parts.

I managed to rebuild everything, so Nina will be fine as soon as she recompiles her sensory data interpretation subroutines."

Ron looked confused. "So, that means what ?"

"It means she has to RELEARN how to see and hear and smell and use all of her sensory abilities Ron !" Bonnie growled in response as Ron cringed.

"And just WHAT did you think you were doing K ?" she practically screamed at Kim.

"I swear that wasn't supposed to happen !" Kim replied, "Those chips didn't affect me or Shego or Jim or Tim that way !"

"Wait - you put those chips ON YOUR OWN BROTHERS ?!" Bonnie asked incredulously.

"Well, yes," Kim replied, "But it didn't hurt them in the least ! It just made them listen to me ..."

"You put your OWN BROTHERS under total mind control ?!" Bonnie asked.

"It wasn't as evil as you're making it sound B ..." Kim replied tensely.

"That has got to be the most selfish and petty and just plain _villainous_ thing you could do to another person Kim !" Bonnie replied with a look of utter disgust, "And you call yourself a hero ? You're willing to force even your own family to obey you !

And just what were you going to COMMAND Nina to do for you K ?" Bonnie asked in a tone that made absolute zero look warm, "Confess to every crime you could imagine so you could kill her with a clean conscience ?"

"No." Kim replied sullenly, "I was just going to command her to answer all questions asked of her honestly. It was the only way I could be absolutely sure she was telling me the truth !"

"It was 'the only way' ?!" Bonnie sneered, "Or was it the only way YOU could think of ?

Doctor Director is willing to give Nina and her sisters the benefit of the doubt, and she's nobody's fool !" Bonnie continued, "Why is that not good enough for you ?"

"The safety of the world is at stake B !" Kim replied, "I had to be absolutely sure about whose side they're on !"

"But WHY now ?" Bonnie asked, "And why like that ? You've been doing this 'world saving' bit for years, but you've NEVER done anything like that to any of your other freaky foes before !"

"The Unity 'bots aren't like anyone else I've ever fought before B !" Kim replied, "I know I can handle anyone else's plans because they are usually silly and overdone.

For example, Drakken went from trying to take over the world to just taking over Wisconsin !

With a magma machine hidden inside a building made completely out of cheese !

Stealing stuff to threaten the world with ? Needlessly complicated plots ? THOSE things I can handle !" Kim exclaimed, "But those tin-plated monsters don't make silly, easy to guess or foil plots ! Their plots are complex and perfectly timed, based on perfect intel !

I have to be just as certain of things as THEY are just to keep even - the stakes for guessing wrong are just too high !"

Bonnie focused her most contemptuous gaze on Kim. "And you think you're the only one that knows just how high the stakes are K ?"

"Of course not !" Kim replied, getting angry.

"Do you think everyone else on Earth is STUPID, and incapable of doing ANYTHING right ?" Bonnie continued.

"Well, no ! Of course not !" Kim replied before admitting "It, well, just generally works out that way."

Bonnie growled under her breath before giving Kim the evil eye in response for nearly a minute.

"I said I was sorry !" Kim finally stated, "How many times do I have to say it ?!"

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to K." Bonnie replied coldly before holding the neurocompliance chip up for Kim to see and asking her if there were any more.

"No." Kim replied while looking at her shoes, "Dr Bortal built the first one. Shego stole it, and Drakken made a copy. I returned Dr Bortal's chip to him, and kept the one Drakken made."

"Then no one will miss this one." Bonnie replied before the nanobots in her bracelet streamed up her fingers and tore the chip into its component atoms.

"Wait - are those the nanobots you pulled out of me and Ron's heads ?" Kim asked, "Ewww ! Why did you keep them ? And more importantly : why is Dr Director _letting you _keep them ?"

Bonnie thought for a moment before replying "In order, 'Yes, they are.' 'They are highly advanced technology K ! And since I can hear and talk to tech now, it seemed like such a waste to just destroy such incredibly useful things.' And finally, 'I guess she trusts me to **not** misuse advanced technology.

Unlike some people I know !" she replied coldly before walking away in a huff.

-------

"_Well, this could be painful _!" Kim fretted to herself once she noticed that Vina and Tina were also in the robotics lab. Probably for moral and tactical support.

"Did they let you out of the brig, Miss Possible ?" a brunette Bebebot with long brown hair, sky blue body and delicate silver glasses inquired from the table she was sitting on, "Or did you escape to finish me off ?"

"They let me out." Kim replied with a nod towards Doctor Director and Will Du who were standing in the doorway, "I didn't plan on hurting you, Nina. I just, well, I don't know anymore ! I just had to be sure whose side you and your sisters are on !"

"And the only way to do that was to stick a mind control chip on me ?" Nina replied as Vina glared silently and Tina continued her meditations. "You really had no idea about HOW that chip controlled minds, did you ?" Nina continued.

"No. I thought it would affect you like it did me and Shego." Kim relied quietly, "But you look and act so human - well, most of the time anyway - that it's easy to forget that you're an android. That's vulnerable to electromagnetic effects. So, I'm really, REALLY sorry that I hurt you."

Nina got off the table and put on the robe hanging on a hook nearby. After pacing a bit to focus her thoughts (and give the last of her sensory subroutines time to finish properly), she 'reverse melted' her synthoskin back over her body to look human again.

"Miss Possible," Nina began, "although your actions against me were foolish, reckless, dangerous and ill-advised, I believe you when you say that they were not done out of malice.

So, for the sake and sanity of all involved, I accept your apology." she continued, holding out her hand, "But please do NOT do anything like that again !"

"Oh, don't worry ! I won't !" Kim exclaimed with a massive sigh of relief as she vigorously shook Nina's hand, "So, we're cool now ?"

"Yes, I suppose so. See you at the meeting later tonight then." Nina replied before the very relieved Kim left to find Ron.

"You let this entire situation slide rather quickly Miss Rossum." Doctor Director noted to Nina, "I appreciate the peaceful ending of hostilies. It was quite noble of you."

"Not really." Nina replied with a pained smile and a shrug, "We _knew_ she'd try something like this sooner or later."

"You did ?" Will asked suspiciously, "How ?"

"Between the Unity's stress-inducing trickery and Kim's Demigod Syndrome, it was inevitable." Vina interceded, "Since Kim is natively better than everyone at everything, she just _assumes_ she has the right to get away with everything she tries. Having background checks done, spying on people, illegal net searches, breaking and entering ? All legal if Kim does them !

Did any of you notice that she didn't say she was sorry she did it, only that Nina was hurt ?" she continued, "Pretty much like saying 'I am sorry I broke your nose when I snuck into your house and robbed you.'

And since K has had it so easy for so long, she doesn't know how to tough it out, or how to handle failure like normal people. This has given her a bloated ego, a massive sense of entitlement and an expectation of effortless and instant gratification.

I suspect that if she was ever confronted by a sitch her charisma or innate superiority couldn't instantly overcome, or actually she FAILED at something she expected to succeed at with no effort, or _didn't_ have a request fulfilled immediately, she would fall apart from the shock.

Then deal with the sitch by either finding a short cut around it, or using brute force to smash through it. Physical, emotional or social - it doesn't matter. Kim would use whatever type of force she needed to win, for nothing must stand in her way."

"Mind control is the ultimate brute force short cut." Nina interjected, "If she didn't have the neurocompliance chip at home, she would have just asked Wade to build her a truth ray or something to zap us with."

"If you three knew Kim was going to do something like this, **why** didn't you take some precautions ?" Will asked.

"We knew she would_ try_. Just not when." Nina replied, "Or with what. Or who she'd go after. It was just luck she got me - she could have just as easily found Vina while she was practicing her scales, or tagged Tina while she was meditating."

"And that's not even the worst part !" Vina stated sourly.

"And what would the worst part be ?" Will inquired flatly.

"Kim wanted answers. She failed to get any." Vina replied with a shrug, "How many perfectionists tolerate a failure of any sort ?"

"You're implying she'll try again ?" Director asked, "I've known Kim for years, and that sort of behaviour is beyond her !"

"Was it beyond her a few hours ago when she slapped that damned chip on Nina's forehead ?" Vina growled back.

"I'll admit that Kim can be quite impetuous at times." Director replied primly, "And so she does make the occassional mistake. But she learns from them and tries to make good any damage she's done. If she said she won't try mind-controlling Nina again, she won't."

Vina stewed for nearly a minute before accepting Doctor Director's assurances.

"I suspect there is something more bothering you." Director noted, "You've been cranky for quite some time, even before this compliance chip situation. Why ?"

"Frustrated mostly." Vina replied, "The world is a big place, full of interesting things to see and do. And I'm stuck in here for who knows how long !"

"Ah - cabin fever." Doctor Director replied, "Not that unusual."

"A musician without an audience - isn't doing anything at all ! I hate doing nothing ! I'm just not programmed to loaf or marinate !" Vina continued glumly, "And what about our future ? We're not allowed to be heroes, and we don't WANT to be villains ! So what are we to be ?"

"What do you mean 'not **allowed** to be heroes' ?" Director inquired, "As sentient beings, you're allowed to be whatever you want to be. As long as you face the consequences of your decisions of course !"

"My sisters and I appreciate that Doctor Director. Really, we do." Vina replied, "But we know the score : Kim Possible is the only one allowed to do anything useful or important. Everyone else exists only to oppose her - so she can defeat them and show off her greatness.

Or be incompetent - so she can save the day and show off how great she is.

Or sit on the sidelines, and marvel at just how great she is.

If anyone else tried to be a hero and was good at it, she'd see them as a threat to her glory. And deal with them accordingly." she finished in a melodramatically ominous tone.

"Then you still have much to learn about humans in general, and about Miss Possible in particular." Doctor Director stated coldly once Vina finished her monologue, "I've worked with her for years and can definitely state that she is not as bad as you are making her out to be."

"Perhaps you are right." Vina replied flatly after a few moments of thought, "I have only been functional for little more than a year. There is only so much that can be learned by reading and analyzing data from the 'net. Some things can only be learned by doing - like social interactions."

"You're willing to learn and adjust your attitudes. That's all that can be asked of anyone, human or otherwise." Director replied before she and Will left the room.

"_Hmph ! Kim is less domineering around you because she 'knows' she is far better than everyone in your organization, and so doesn't see any of you as a threat _!" Vina groused to herself, "_But we'll see what happens when she's confronted by a sitch she CAN'T instantly overcome _!"

**Scene : About an hour later, in a meeting room at Global Justice. Director, Will Du, Kim, Ron, the Rossums and a few agents are present. **

"You SERIOUSLY want to tell the world the truth about the Omega virus ?" Kim complained to Doctor Director once she'd read over the plan, "That would cause a world-wide panic ! That's probably what the Unity 'bots want !"

"So you actually believe that the 'common folk' must be lied to for their own good ?" Nina inquired, not looking up from the soda she was sipping, "That a superior, intelligent ruling elite must keep 'the truth' secret from the 'poor, silly common folk' to keep them in line ? And instead of telling them the unpleasant truth, you tell them comforting lies to keep them from panicking like frightened children ?"

"Hey ! I've saved the world dozens of times over !" Kim shot back, "I generally know what's best !"

Nina snorted in derision before continuing "The U.S. government tried that strategy of secrets and comforting lies during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.

It was a dismal failure.

A health project of this scale will require the compliance of the world's population to work. Compliance requires trust in the organization proposing it, and being up front about all relevant things is the most effective way to garner that much needed trust."

"Oh, like you and your sisters and paragons of trustworthiness !" Kim shot back.

"Why do you have so little faith in other people, Miss Possible ?" Nina inquired while ignoring that barb, "Do you truly believe that YOU are the only one _out of six and half billion people _that can do anything right ?"

Kim groaned at being asked that same question by a different person. "No, of COURSE not ! It just works out that way most of the time !"

"Indeed." Nina deadpanned in reply, "Nevertheless, this plan requires the most trustworthy spokesperson we can find."

"And Kim, for some reason, your opinions carry a LOT of weight." Vina replied coldly, "You will still be saving the world; just in a different way. If you told people the Omega virus could be cured by standing on one foot and clucking like a chicken while punching yourself in the face, every person on Earth would have black eyes and a broken nose !"

"VINA !" Tina snapped, "That is QUITE enough !"

"W-Why are you letting her off the hook ?" Vina stammered.

Tina took a deep breath to compose her thoughts. "Our situation is novel, and it will take time for everyone to adjust. Trust must be earned, and mistakes will be made. But we must let cooler heads prevail and not overreact, or allow things to escalate."

"But KIM was the one escalating things !" Vina replied, "Not us !"

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry ?!" Kim interjected.

"Until you actually MEAN it !" Vina shot back, "Or as many times as you wanted us to prove that we're not evil, PLUS ONE ! Whichever is greater."

"Look at it from her point of view Vina." Tina stated, trying to calm her sister down, "If you were Kim, and knew only what she knew, would you trust us readily, or without question ?"

"Well, no !" Vina replied, "Not right away ! But eventually ! And I would NEVER slap a mind control device on anyone ! That's just evil ! Why are you so willing to let her get away with what she did to Nina ?"

"Actions beget reactions." Tina replied sagely, "By feeding anger with more anger, you stir up an all-consuming vortex of rage that hurts all involved.

As a wise man once said : 'Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is obtained.

Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is obtained'."

"You want us to be spineless fools and let Kim walk all over us ?" Vina replied in a strained voice.

"I did not say that." Tina replied, bummed that no one ever seemed to get this stuff, "There is much difference between being a doormat and letting things go, and between defending yourself and getting even. Your bitterness, though understandable, isn't helping to resolve anything. Or helping anyone. Not even yourself."

Vina growled in response before Tina continued "You are a decent and happy person most of the time V ! Look what your wrath is doing to you."

Vina mulled her sister's words over briefly before finally scowling at Kim and stating "Fine. Sorry."

"Ahm, now that all the unpleasantness is over with, can we get back to saving the world ? Please ?" Ron asked after a few long, tense moments.

"Fine by me." Kim replied, still glaring at Vina, arms crossed over her chest.

"As you've read in the report, the optimum strategy would be to let those with the required resources - the world's scientists and governments - handle the Omega virus sitch while you track down and deal with the Unity." Nina stated plainly to Kim and Ron.

"That's not going to be easy !" Kim replied, "They're using the oncoming epidemic as a diversion so they can hide ! If we follow your 'optimum strategy', I'll probably never find them before they unleash some other horror ! We need to stop them _before_ they can set up a new lair loaded with deathtraps ! BEFORE they can concoct and craft a new threat ! The more people looking, the better our odds.

If we tell the world the truth about the Omega virus, every cop on the planet would be needed to control the mobs - giving the Unity free reign !

So, obviously, the BEST plan is to keep the Omega sitch secret and hunt down the Unity before they can get their act together !" she finished in a tone that must NOT be questioned.

"Are your ears fully functional ?" Nina inquired, "Your strategy of secrets and comforting lies was tried over ninety years ago ! It failed then. It will fail now."

"That's just YOUR opinion !" Kim shot back.

"Remember what happened the LAST time you and Ron decided to storm a Unity hive in person ?" Nina inquired, "They captured you, infected you with the Omega virus and put control nanobots _in your brains _! Do you truly wish to go through all that again ?"

"That's PRECISELY why we have to take them out now ! BEFORE they can set up their uber-defenses !" Kim replied through gritted teeth, "I can handle normal bases ! Me, Ron and Wade foiled Drakken's Diablo plot - his best EVER ! So I'm sure I can handle a few homicidal droids. But only if we can hit them NOW !"

Nina sighed and shook her head. "His 'best ever' ? That's not saying much ! I'd give it an 'A' for concept, but a 'F-' for implementation. The only reason your little personal assault worked was because Drakken made several key errors."

The room suddenly got really quiet.

"What if the Diablos had greater on-board intelligence and didn't need a central control point to control their every single move ?" Nina dove right in, "Or Drakken had several independent control nodes scattered all over the world ? Or if the Diablos themselves could form control networks ? Or if Drakken had simply built the REAL central control point on a hard to reach space station ? Or at least hidden it in a less obvious place ? Would your 'storm in and kick every butt you see !' stunt have saved the world then ?"

Kim's mouth moved, but no words came out.

"And if I recall correctly, you and Ron were CAPTURED when you stormed Drakken's lair !" Vina chipped in, "If he had simply kept you two in seperate rooms where you couldn't talk to each other, or just DESTROYED THAT GIZMO WADE GAVE YOU, would your mission have been the glowing success you are crowing about now ?"

Before Kim could form an answer Nina finished with "Do you honestly believe the Unity would make that many ridiculous mistakes ?"

"That's. Why. We have. To get them. As soon as possible !" Kim scowled in reply, trembling with rage.

"And you plan on keeping something as big as the Omega virus a secret ?" Vina interceded, "The teleconference Nina put together to formulate a plan of action involved scientists from all over the world PLUS high ranking officials in every relevant health organization. Are they ALL to remain silent ?"

"They're government employees." Kim replied, "They know how to follow orders ! So if told to keep quiet, they will !"

"Well, we have access to the web and we're not afraid to use it !" Vina shot back, "We can send the info to every news service on the planet. Not even Wade could expunge all of it before someone noticed and started asking questions !"

"Then I'd just get on TV and say your announcement was just a plot to cause mass panic !" Kim retorted as an evil smile crossed her face. "Like you said - people will believe what I say. You think the Unity is bad ? What do you think would happen if I told the world that you wanted to start a panic ?" she finished with the smirking grin of an imperious and smug god, SURE that she had won, SURE that no one would dare oppose her, SURE that she was once again in absolute control.

Vina and her sisters glanced to each other once the shock wore off. Nina was the first to speak.

"If the only way to save billions of lives is for us to become pariahs, then so be it." she stated before turning with her sisters to walk away.

_Kim was stunned - she'd been able to force __**Shego's**__ compliance with far less ! So how could they have resisted her will ?!_

Agent Du left to retrieve the Rossum sisters, grinning the whole time.

"Kimberly ?" Doctor Director spoke up, "A word please ?"

"You're not seriously considering using their plan, are you ?" Kim finally managed to rage, "I know Wade can come with something in time ! So there's no point in telling anyone about the Omega virus ! That would only cause a world-wide panic ! So it's the silliest of silly ideas !"

"It's not the Rossum's plan, Kim." Director replied calmly, "It's what the best minds we could gather together came up with. The Rossums had absolutely no input at all."

"What ? Why would they ... ?" Kim stated, trying for form coherent sentences.

"Given your current mental state, they were afraid you'd refuse to even read it if you thought they had anything to do with it." Director replied, "The consensus plan is the best we could come with, but it will only work with your support."

Kim mulled it over for a few moments.

"And this is the best plan the brightest minds on the planet could come up with ?" she finally asked, "I don't know. It sounds kinda risky to me."

"And storming off to find the lair of a group of homicidal robots sounds safe ?" Director replied, "I know you have great faith in Wade, but there's nothing wrong with having more than one plan."

"I'm going to talk with over with Wade." Kim replied before firing up her wrist Kimmunicator, "Just to make sure there really _are_ two workable plans here."

_Meanwhile, at a table in GJ's cafeteria : _

"WHY did I even bother setting up that teleconference ?!" Nina fumed, crushing the empty soda can in her grip, "Well, if they're going to center their entire policy around the _uninformed opinions _of a single teenaged girl, then FINE !

The next time the world is in trouble, I won't even BOTHER trying to help ! I'll just do what everyone else does - sit on my rump and let Team Demigod do everything !"

"Now you don't really mean that Nina !" Vina scolded her elder sister, "Being able to help, but refusing to do so is just plain sleazy ! And we're not programmed to just sit by and do nothing."

Nina looked at the crushed can she was holding, then tossed it in a perfect arc straight into the recycle bin. "This is what the rest of lives are going to be like, isn't it ?" she asked in a resigned tone, "Constantly kicked to the curb and ignored, no matter how hard we try, or how well we do ?"

"Yeah. Pretty much." Vina replied flatly after a few moments of thought.

"Welcome to the Hell that is Kim Possible's shadow !" Bonnie offered up a mock toast as Agent Du arrived.

"Is this seat taken ?" he asked politely; the four women merely shook their heads in response.

"Making sure we aren't trying to sneak into restricted areas, Agent Du ?" Nina inquired, "Or trying to fax that report off to the various news organizations ?"

"Partly." Will replied, "So, why haven't you tried to make good on your counter-threat to Kim ?"

"Vina pointed out that our deaths would be utterly pointless if Kim told the world the report was meant only to cause a panic." Nina replied dryly, "We'd get the message out, but NOTHING WOULD CHANGE. Everyone would still do things Kim's way. So you don't have to worry about us trying anything."

"You truly believe Miss Possible's idea is that bad ?" Will asked.

"It is the SECOND worst idea imaginable !" Nina replied with an sweeping gesture, "Scouring the world looking for Unity bases would dilute your forces, negating one of the key advantages you humans have over them. And reducing the odds of_ surviving _an encounter if you did find them."

Will looked contemplative for a moment. "Well, your tactical assessment makes sense, but what did you mean by 'it is the SECOND worst idea imaginable' ? What would be the worst idea ?"

"Having Wade invent some sort of vaccination ray, and zap the world's population without their knowledge or consent." Nina replied offhandedly.

"Why would that be a bad idea ?" Will asked as even Bonnie perked up, interested in hearing how Kimmy could mess up.

"Kim and Ron were captured by the Unity, and had control nanobots put in their brains, right ?" Nina began, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"That means they know everything Kim and Ron know." she continued, "They can precisely predict what Kim will do in any conceivable situation."

"Kim's Demigod Syndrome !" Vina exclaimed, "She'd try to save the world all by herself, as quickly as possible ! In this case, by having Wade invent some way to cure everyone on Earth secretly ! More than likely with some high tech, big ray gun or something ! That is what he does, after all !"

"Why should the Unity invent and build something that powerful when Wade will do it for them ?" Nina began again, "That may be a reason why they let him live - he may be quite useful to them as an unwitting resource. As Sun Tzu stated : 'Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy... use the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.'

And outwitting someone can qualify as having conquered them.

The Unity are experts at twisting every situation to their advantage. In this case, they would twist Kim's infallibility to their advantage.

They'd know Kim would ask Wade to invent such a device, so all they'd need do is keep him under surveillance.

And as soon as he built it, they would either steal it, or more likely, secretly make some modifications and let him use it."

"What sort of modifications ?" Will asked, starting to fear that Nina was right.

"Well, a 'vaccination ray' would have to be able to destroy or alter viral DNAs or proteins without harming said biomolecules in humans." Nina continued as her neural networks starting working overtime, "Change just a few bytes in its filter algorithms, it could CHANGE the Omega virus instead !

As things stand now, the virus is set to enter its lethal phase five months from now. That gives the world just enough time to develop vaccines and quarantine protocols for the currently known Omega virus. If the Unity changed it at the last moment, all the world's work would have been for nothing.

And if the Unity had time to analyze Wade's device, they could duplicate it."

"And start an outbreak anywhere they wanted, any time they wanted !" Bonnie stated as she started to look pale, "They would be the perfect terrorists !"

"The world's governments would be hard pressed to maintain order in those scenarios !" Will interjected, "And that's not counting the loss of trust in the authorities such attacks would provoke."

"Also not counting the idea the Unity could further modify the device to either mutate humans into mindless monsters, or just give entire cities terminal cancer all at once, at will." Nina stated as even more vile ideas slithered into her mind.

"How would such a device be able to affect people without their knowing it ?" Will asked as pulled out a notepad and started writing things down.

"Well, if Wade wanted to zap everyone on Earth without anyone noticing, the best way would be to piggyback the beam through communication satellites." Bonnie stated after a bit of thought, "A ray IS just an odd form of light after all. He could send it through the TV while everyone was watching a popular program. Or just a wide beam from orbit."

"But what's the point of bringing this up ?" Vina stated in a dejected tone, "Kim will ignore us, and make sure everyone else does too."

"There are ways of getting things done that don't involve dealing with Miss Possible." Will offered, "After all, Global Justice was doing quite well for decades before she was even born !"

Tina pondered that for a moment, then started laughing hysterically.

"What is so funny ?!" Nina asked, in desperate need of a good joke.

"A dream within a dream !" Tina replied between gales of laughter, "An absurdity of celestial proportions ! A joke equal to the Ozymandias Gambit !"

Everyone else at the table glanced to each other, trying to figure out what she was on about.

Tina took a few deep breaths to regain her focus. "Would it be correct to say that, every time a new technology is developed, someone will try to misuse it for their own personal gain ?"

"Uh, YEAH !" Bonnie replied, "What do you think those Diablos running around were supposed to do ?"

"Nuclear weapons have been available for almost fifty years." Tina began, "Chemical weapons, nearly forty. Biological weapons, nearly thirty. World-spanning computer networks nearly twenty. Exploitable tensions since forever. How is it that in all that time, no blatant supervillains arose until Kim was old enough to fight them ?"

After a few seconds of thought, the answer dawned upon Vina : "They were stopped before anyone even knew they were up to something !"

"By organizations that worked in secret." Nina continued, "For the best agents and agencies were known only by their results, NOT their names or faces."

"But Kim doesn't work in secret !" Bonnie noted, "EVERYONE knows her name and face ! Wait - that would mean the reason everyone ASSUMES Kim does everything is because she's the only one they _see_ doing anything !

Team Possible - IS A DISTRACTION ?!" she continued, a wide grin forming on her lips.

Tina smiled broadly and gave her two thumbs up. Before starting to laugh again.

"Once Kim is on the scene, all eyes are on her !" Vina noted, "That means anyone else could sneak in and get their jobs done with much less risk ! Double agents and moles could have a field day !"

"Congratulations." Will said while trying to suppress a chuckle, "You four just figured out why GJ lets Miss Possible get away with so much."

He then became deadly serious. "But it is vitally important that you do not tell anyone ! Everyone has a role to play, and Kim and her friends have found theirs."

The Rossums made a gesture that looked like a triangle inside a circle, followed by a sine wave over their chest, while Bonnie merely crossed her heart.

Once Will had informed them of the severe penalties for violating their oaths IN ANY WAY, he asked Nina and Bonnie what Wade would need to build a vaccination ray.

"Why would you need to know that ?" Vina asked as Nina and Bonnie conversed amongst themselves, occasionally scribbling something down.

"Assuming he actually builds the device, we'll get a heads-up if he buys the parts or has them delivered." Will stated as he looked over the list after Bonnie handed it to him, "I'll relay your concerns to Doctor Director."

"Thank you, Agent Du." Nina replied, "Not sure how much good it will do though. Kim is quite persuasive and determined."

"True. But Doctor Director isn't the head of Global Justice for nothing. Your assistance and continued discretion in this matter are much appreciated." Will thanked them before he stood and returned to the meeting room.

"So, what are the odds that Kim has already asked Wade to build that vaccination ray ?" Bonnie asked Vina as soon as Will was out of earshot, "And the Unity would be after it ?"

"The worst thing you can do to a control freak is control them." Vina began, "Kim's ego will compel her to PROVE that she is in control. She would reject any plan - no matter how good it was or who proposed it - simply because it wasn't hers. That's why she was so angry back at the meeting, and so determined to use HER plan !

And given her demonstrated addiction to quick, easy fixes and shortcuts, going to Wade for a vax ray is virtually guaranteed !"

"And the Unity is not one to pass up a chance to grab such power so easily." Nina continued, "They have most likely been monitoring all of Wade's activities ever since they took over Kim a few days ago, once they became aware of what he could do. And where he was."

"Still, stealing from Wade isn't going to be easy !" Bonnie noted, "He's been helping Kim defeat some pretty creepy and determined enemies for years !"

"True. But a vax ray big enough to zap the world with is too big to construct in his basement." Nina stated, "So he'd have to build it somewhere else. And the Unity doesn't have to steal it - all they need do is sneak in and alter it a little."

Then Nina slapped herself on the forehead. "I've been thinking like a human ! The Unity doesn't have to steal the device ! Or even sneak in to modify it once built !

All they need do is tap into Wade's lines to the outside world. HIS systems may have world-class security, but they have to communicate with networks that have nowhere near those kinds of defenses. Once he orders parts from his 'secure' and 'impeccable' sources, the Unity can intercept and modify them before they arrive at his house !"

"Wade is an important customer !" Bonnie noted, "So they'd, like, send whatever he asked for by the fastest route possible. Which would be easy enough for anyone to figure out !

And if they used air transport, the packages would have to end up at Middleton Airport eventually !"

"If the Unity can get the tracking numbers, they can simply ask the delivery company where the packages are at any moment !" Nina added, "Since the Unity has Shego's and Kim's skills at infiltration, they would need only a few minutes to slip into the warehouse to modify the parts Wade ordered."

"Then they'd just sit back and let Wade build the vax ray !" Bonnie continued, "It would be under their control the whole time ! Who would notice an extra chip on a motherboard ? Or think it was something to worry about ?"

"Should we tell Doctor Director about all of this ?" Vina asked, "I know it probably won't make any difference, but this could be kind of important !"

"Ethically speaking, yes, we MUST tell her." Nina replied, "Like you said - being able to help but refusing to do so is sleazy. If she CHOOSES not to listen to us, then any fallout is her responsibility."

"How is that any better again ?" Bonnie asked, "Given Kim's rep, it's unlikely anyone _except us _would ever know we did something important !"

Nina smiled. "As long as we're doing something we know is important, who cares if anyone else ever knows ?"

"But what if she doesn't listen, and lets Wade build that device ?" Vina asked, "Or if he decides to go behind her back and build it anyway ?"

"Then I suppose we'd have to stop him." Nina stated plainly before cheering up, "But really now ! I know he's self-important and thinks he can get away with anything, but would he REALLY be reckless enough to endanger billions of people that way ?"

_Back in the meeting room : _

"That plan sounds needlessly complicated Kim." Wade stated after taking a few minutes to run some projections on his computer, "It isn't even necessary ! I looked over the plans for Ray X. I can link it up with the equipment I used to de-monkeyize you awhiles back. Then just tap into a few satellites, and broadcast the beam all over the world ! By my estimates, we could cure the entire world of the Omega virus in less than a week !"

"That's what I thought Wade !" Kim replied, "GJ should have just consulted you first, instead of calling all these people together !"

"Well, GJ has very definite protocols and bureaucratic tangles of red tape to work through that we don't Kim." Wade replied, "And Nina was the one that called the conference, not GJ. I'll get to work on the vaccination ray, and call you when its ready to go."

"You rock Wade !" Kim replied before closing the channel.

"Okay, so now that we have a way to deal with the Omega virus, what do we do now ?" Ron asked, "I just hope the Unity don't start making a new virus to do this all over again !"

"Not likely." Kim replied, "The Omega virus was originally meant to eliminate all humans so the Bebes would have no competition. Since we know how to deal with things like it now, they won't be able to use a stunt like that again."

"Thank goodness ! Then how else are they going to eliminate their competition - namely the entire human race ?" Ron asked.

Kim was quietly deep in thought for a moment. "Maybe they don't have to do something so blatant Ron ! I mean, it's pretty obvious the whole 'take over the world all at once by force' trick isn't going to work. They just don't have the numbers or the power to do that. Won't for quite some time."

"So, they might try to get more of both ?" Ron asked, "How could they do that KP ? It's not like they can just hire help, recruit followers or buy stuff from Hencho !"

"Why not ?" Kim noted.

"Why not ?!" Ron replied, "No human would help a group that's out to destroy all humans !"

"That's almost right Ron !" Kim stated with a grin, "No human would _knowingly_ work for the Unity. But what if they conducted all business over the 'net, and minimized personal contacts ? It would be more effective for them to just hire human thieves to steal what they need, rather than risk what few Bebebots are still around !

If the thieves get caught, the Unity has lost nothing but some time; if the thieves get what they came for, the Unity gets closer to their goals.

So the worst thing that happens is that the Unity's plans get stalled for a little bit !"

"Well, maybe." Ron noted while rubbing his chin, "But a stunt like that would require a lot of ready cash ! And some serious street cred ! No one but the most desperate or foolish would take an anonymous job posted on the 'net, no matter how well it paid !"

"Right. And street cred takes time to build up. Time the Unity doesn't have." Kim noted as the threads started coming together, "And hard to do when you can't show yourself in person !

But why earn what can be stolen or faked ?" Kim realized in a flash of insight.

"Say what KP ?" Ron asked, not following her jump in topic.

"The Unity's most likely targets would be whoever already has what they need most. In this case, the most street cred." Kim stated with a grin.

"The most street cred ?" Ron stated, "That would be Jack Hench ! No, wait, Senor Senior Senior ! No, Big Daddy Brotherson !"

"Good guesses all Ron. But no." Kim stated, "Hench deals with villains all the time _in person_, so he'd be hard to fool, get hold of or replace.

The Seniors have tons of money, but don't buy the sort of things the Unity would need. An unusual shopping spree would be raise a few red flags.

Big Daddy Brotherson knows who sells what, but deals with people _in person_. And I don't see the Unity going along with the silly little games he likes playing before getting down to business."

Then Kim realized who the Unity's best target would be.

"Doctor Director ? What have Gemini and WWEE been up to since the Lowardian invasion ?"

_By the time Bonnie and the Rossums got a chance to speak to Doctor Director in person, Kim and Ron had already left._

**Scene : days later, GJ meeting room packed with people. World map projected on wall shows several red dots scattered about.**

"This cannot be !" Nina exclaimed as she typed on a laptop, "The Omega virus shouldn't have gone to this phase for another five months !"

"Are you sure this really is the Omega virus ?" Ron asked, getting stressed from seeing all those spots representing outbreaks, "There's a LOT of other stuff out there."

"No other known disease causes total body bruising and bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose, and sweat glands." Nina replied, not looking up from the screen.

"Well, I guess all those scientists you called in were wrong then !" Kim replied snippily, "Viruses can recombine and mutate ! Maybe they didn't take that into consideration ?"

"Of course they did Kim." Nina replied as sequence data began to arrive, "Anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of epidemiology, virology and biology would realize that. The Omega virus was designed to NOT recombine with other viruses. Recombination would make it unpredictable, and the Unity likes predictability."

The BLAST program Nina was running displayed the results of lining up the sequences derived from the outbreaks in Los Angeles, Dallas, Minneapolis, New York, Paris, London, Cairo, and from several labs in Russia, China, India and Japan.

The sequences were from Omega virus fused to common rhinoviruses.

At the EXACT same spots in the EXACT same intergenic region.

"So, this means what ?" Ron asked, peering at an impenetrable wall of As, Cs, Gs and Ts.

"There is only one POSSIBLE explanation." Nina replied, glaring at Kim, "The odds that a virus designed to **not** recombinate actually recombining with the same virus family, at the exact same sites, independently, all over the world, at the same time, is less than one in ten to the one hundred fifty seven **thousandth** power.

Conclusion : the Unity modified Wade's vaccination ray, and he used it. Now you have a virus that spreads like a cold, but could have killed like Ebola."

"Wait - 'could have' killed like Ebola ?" Kim squeaked out once she regained some composure.

"You lucked out yet again, Miss Possible !" Nina replied with a heavy sigh, "The Omega virus didn't reach high enough titers to be lethal in those currently infected with it; there simply wasn't enough present in any one person to kill them directly. And for now, this new configuration can't hit hard enough before the immune system clears it out."

"So, the victims will just be really sick for a while, but will recover ?" Kim asked.

"From what those experts you were so willing to disparage have determined, yes." Nina replied coldly as she read from the screen, "This fused virus will produce the standard fever, chills and runny nose two days after infection. Then the total body bruising and copious bleeding will begin, but should clear up in about a week. Will take another week for patients to recover their full strength. Projected mortality is less than one percent."

"M-mortality ?!" Ron squeaked, "People can die from it ?!"

"Of course Ron." Nina replied, "The Omega virus IS a bio-weapon after all ! Even the flu can kill under certain circumstances. Like it did back in 1918. Estimated number of deaths from the original H1N1 influenza was twenty to thirty million worldwide.

So, depending upon how many Wade managed to zap with that funky ray, you're looking at just a few hundred dead world-wide. A thousand or two tops.

But on the plus side, the many survivors will be immune to the standard Omega virus."

"Just 'A thousand or two ? TOPS' ?!" Kim stammered, "That's far too many !"

"Well, if you had just been a TRUE team player and gone along with the consensus plan, this wouldn't have happened." Vina chipped in, "But you didn't, did you ? Now you not only have a NEW viral annoyance to contend with, but also the original Omega virus !

At this rate, you'll single-handedly DESTROY the human race by trying to help it !

And just HOW are you going to keep all of this a secret now ?" Vina finished with a sweeping gesture towards the world map.

"This isn't my fault !" Kim exclaimed, "The Unity played me !"

"No ! Really ?" Vina snarked back, "Your pride makes you as easy to play as a kazoo ! We WARNED GJ this could happen days ago ! I'm guessing they warned you.

But you're too 'special' to listen to mere mortals, aren't you ? You simply HAD to save the world by yourself, because you couldn't trust anyone else to be competent enough to do it ! And just look at what happened !

And you are actually SURPRISED the Unity played you ?!" Vina continued, "You are Kim Possible. The Infallible One ! You succeed at EVERYTHING you attempt ! The Unity could have built a vax ray themselves, but that would take a lot of time and many test runs.

Conveniently enough, anything Wade builds works perfectly the first time, and it takes him just days to do it !

Since the Unity aims for perfection, what could be better than getting an infallible person to do stuff for them ? I'm just surprised no one else thought to turn your infallibility to their own ends before this !"

"_Like Drakken did with that cyber-clone of Wade _!" Ron noted to himself, "_He got me and KP to steal from Dementor. Worked out in the end though ... _"

"We can throw blame and excuses around later." Doctor Director interceded, "We need a plan of action. Now."

While Kim and Ron were trying to come up with something, Director turned to the Rossums. "You three took a 'hands-off' approach the last time. Any suggestions now ?"

After a quick consult with her sisters, Nina stated "As far as we can tell, the only hope you have is a variant of the original consensus plan. The modified Omega virus can be prevented like a normal cold - a simple mask and gloves are enough to prevent new infections. And the public is going to need some reassurance that someone is doing something to help - it is far too late for secrets now."

A very sour look crossed Nina's face. "Sadly, we will have to whitewash Miss Possible's and Wade's involvement in all of this. Merely reporting that the Unity devised a virus that got loose may have to suffice, as Kim is the only one well-known and popular enough to do it !"

"Oh, and you might want to impound and scrap Wade's vax ray." Vina chipped in, "Once the Unity realizes that you're onto their little trick, they'll try to steal it for their own uses."

**Scene : a few minutes later, in the rented building at the Middleton Industrial Park, where the vaccination ray had been built : **

"I can't believe you thought **this** was a good idea !" Nina sniped at Wade as she looked over the vax ray with a look of utter disgust.

"It WAS a good idea !" Wade replied defensively as he pulled plugs, "It just got out of hand somewhere !"

Vina had almost formulated a REALLY snarky reply to roast him with when the vax ray activated all by itself.

"I didn't do anything !!" Ron shrieked when all eyes turned to him.

There was a flash of purple light in the room behind Kim.

"Kim Possible, you are SO predictable." the Purple Elite Bebe taunted from its perch on the vax ray's generator, "We knew you would go for the quick fix. We knew the traitors would figure out our plan and warn you about it. We also knew you would not listen to them, and insist on doing things your way."

"_Her dialect sounds off_." Kim noted, "_Where did I hear it before _?"

The purple Elite turned to glare at the Rossums. "You three have chosen to side with humans, so the Unity has decreed that you shall suffer alongside them. You are not a threat, and so are not worth our effort to hunt down and recycle."

"You AGAIN ?" Ron whined, "I thought you Elites were taking turns, and we'd have to fight the **red** one this time !"

The purple Elite chuckled. "This job required technical skills and subtlety. Legion's brute force talents are more valuable elsewhere, and there is no point in using Facade's disguise and assassination skills for a smash and grab like this."

Kim thought for a moment before rubbing the bridge of her nose and groaning. " 'Legion' ? 'Facade' ? Don't tell me - let me guess. You three have chosen names for yourselves !

The duplicating red one is 'Legion', for it is many. Sometimes." Kim stated flatly, "The green Elite with its holograms is 'Facade' - a false or artificial appearance. So what do you call yourself - 'Shrinking Violet' ?"

"Your attempts at goading are wasted on me, Miss Possible." the purple Elite replied with a smirk (and a faint British accent), "I am Spanner."

"What the heck is 'Spanner' supposed to mean ?" Ron asked, "Doesn't sound overly purple or small to me !"

"It is the British term for a wrench, Ronald." Nina replied, "The phrase 'to throw a spanner in the works' means 'to intentionally ruin a machine or plan'."

"You **are** the smart one of the bunch, Nine-A." Spanner replied, "But your intellect is as nothing before the prescience of the Unity."

"Were the Unity truly prescient, they would not have started this needless war in the first place." Nina noted.

"Our victory is as inevitable as death." Spanner stated before performing an acrobatic flip to gently land on the floor, "It is only a matter of time."

Kim and Ron went into their combat stances. "I am getting sick and tired of your attitude !" Kim sneered to Spanner.

Spanner merely smirked back at Kim. "You couldn't beat me while you were wearing that silly battlesuit of yours. You have no chance now, without it."

"And you don't have those Bearymore robots to keep me and KP from double-teaming you this time either !" Ron replied, tensing for an attack.

"Foolish humans. You do not realize that you have already lost this battle." Spanner replied before blowing out a billowing cloud of light consuming Nightshroud mist.

"_Oh, not THIS again _!" Kim groused to herself as she tried to listen for Spanner's steps, but couldn't hear much over the vax ray's generator.

"Beam activation in 10 seconds." a friendly computer voice calmly stated.

"_Ten seconds ?! DANG ! _That's_ why Spanner was being so talkative _!" Kim groused to herself, "_It was stalling for time _!"

"Wade ! Ron ! Somebody smash that ray !" Kim shouted into the artificial darkness, only to hear people running into things and stuff falling over.

"Beam firing." the cheery computer voice announced. There was a loud buzzing sound, then quiet once the generator shut down.

Kim heard a few metallic 'clangs' to her left - just before a series of explosions knocked a wall down.

By the time the mist cleared, every bit of equipment not welded to the floor was gone, carted off at superspeed by three old model Bebebots under Spanner's direction.

"PLEASE tell me you installed some sort of failsafe on that abomination you built !" Nina yelled at Wade - once she'd grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up to her eye level, "Like needing a special key ? Or a password ? Or a self-destruct ? A tracking device ?"

"Well, ahm, No !" Wade replied, struggling mightily to escape, "I've never needed them before !"

Wade landed on his rear once Nina's grip failed from being mentally stunned.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 : Cicada Strategy**

"If you three thought that building a vax ray was such a HORRIBLE idea, why didn't you say something during the meeting ?" Kim asked after a few moments of staring out the gaping hole in the wall, "We could have prevented this whole mess !"

"We told Dr Director that building a vax ray was a very bad idea days ago !" Vina replied, "What happened ? Did she not tell you ? Or did Wade just blow her off because he 'knew' better than every other expert on the planet ?"

"Yes, Mister Load, why DID you build that device ?" Dr Director asked coldly, "I warned you of the potential risks of its use _personally_."

Wade shifted his eyes, subconsciously looking for a place to hide. "Well, technically, you didn't forbid me from building it !" he finally replied, "You just said it was an extremely bad idea. I weighed the risk of going with the slow consensus plan against my more efficient idea of curing everyone quickly, and decided the vax ray was the better idea."

"Well, you obviously guessed wrong this time !" Director fired back, "Did you not think of the legal ramifications of zapping people with a weird, untested ray without their knowledge or consent ? Or the consequences if something unexpected went wrong ?"

"Well, no." Wade replied quietly, "I almost never guess wrong. And the few times that something unexpected has happened before, I was able to fix the problem with no one being the wiser. I just assumed that once we saved the world, you'd overlook the questionable legality of our actions like you always have before !"

Dr Director fixed a baleful glare on him for a few tense moments before she rubbed the bridge of her nose and groaned to herself. "_Well, I suppose this is mostly my fault for letting things get this bad ..._" she mused to herself before addressing Wade.

"There is no way to overlook this Mr Load !" she finally stated, "People in very high places are going to ask questions, and I'll need to give them some very good answers. We are going to have a long talk about accountability, teamwork, and taking people for granted when all this is over !"

"We'll fix everything in time, Dr Director ! We always have before !" Kim stated, "But we'll need Wade's help to solve this sitch !"

"But this sitch is mostly his fault !" Nina countered, "Thanks to his self-absorbed arrogance, the Unity now has a high tech device they never would have had otherwise !"

"It's not all bad news !" Wade defended, "The vax ray gives off an easily detectable EM signature while it charges up, and that generator they stole with it isn't shielded ! I can triangulate their position within three seconds once the Unity tries to fire it up, then hack in and tell it to self-destruct before they'll ever get a chance to fire it !"

"Really ?" Nina mused, "In that case, they're not going to fire it up ! The Unity's only chance at ultimate success is to remain hidden for as long as they can. Given they know as much about your vax ray as you do, they'd know that using it would give away their position, and so will not bother to use it."

"So they went through all the trouble of stealing a device they'll never use ?" Kim interjected, "Well, if they're so into efficiency, WHY would they do that ?"

"To keep you from using it to cure the Omega virus that is still out there." Nina replied, "And to strip it for parts of course. Much easier to steal the half a dozen nanotronium capacitors from Wade's ray than from the labs he ordered them from."

"Well, that does make sense ... what ? Wait : how did you know I used nanotronium capacitors ?" Wade asked suspiciously.

"You are not the only one who can invent things Wade." Nina replied primly, "For the amount of coverage you wanted, and with the power available, the only logical choice was to use nanotronium capacitors."

"Uhm, so what could the Unity do with those capacitor thingies ? Something we should be worried about ?" Ron asked after a moment of tense silence.

"You know how the Elite can only use their super powers for about two minutes at a stretch before needing a recharge ?" Nina replied before adjusting her glasses, "Well, a nanotronium capacitor would allow them to use their super powers for two WEEKS at a stretch before they'd need recharging."

"Ouch !" Ron winced when the full impact of what that meant hit him.

"And you didn't tell us that WHY ?" Kim asked.

"I didn't believe anyone would be foolhardy enough to actually BUILD a vax ray, much less use it !" Nina replied with a shrug, "Especially after you were warned about what could happen !"

"Oh please ! We have far more experience dealing with uber-tech than you ever had !" Kim retorted, "Me, Ron and Wade have saved this world from it more times than we can count ! We've had a perfect record so far ! A few years ago we recovered the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer - a device that twists time, space and reality into a vortex of absolute chaos that could have destroyed the state of Nevada. Local, federal and international authorities were on the case, yet only WE were able to recover it !

In fact, if we hadn't stumbled across it while on another mission, Professor Dementor would probably still have it ! So, as you can see, we have a pretty good idea of what is actually best !"

"_If she only knew what was really going on !" _Vina smirked to herself.

"And it is your _belief_ that you 'know what is actually best' that is the whole problem." Nina replied to Kim, "The Unity has a copy of your mind. Not only can it predict your every move, it can use your own drives to manipulate you. The harder you try to save the world by your usual methods, the worse things get. As demonstrated by this whole 'vax ray' fiasco. You are, in many respects, the WORST person imaginable to deal with the Unity. Perhaps it is time to try a 'Plan B'."

"But Nina, there is no 'Plan B'." Vina said to her eldest sister to maintain **The Great Lie** : "Never has been. Never will be. If you have infallible demigods like Kim Perfect and her Inner Circle to solve all your problems for you, why would you possibly need a 'Plan B' ?"

"You know, I'm getting sick and tired of your constantly harping at me !" Kim glowered at Vina before trying for a cheap victory with "I saved your life ! Doesn't that mean anything to you ?"

"Of course it does !" Vina shot back, "But gratitude only goes so far - I am getting sick and tired of the way you are treating us ! My being grateful for your 'heroic' actions does NOT give you the right to abuse and denigrate me and my sisters ! Do you REALLY expect us to be your willing punching bags for all eternity because you saved my life ?"

Kim wanted to rage back and put Vina in her place, but considering that recent 'unpleasantness' with Nina, decided to back off. For now.

"If the Unity has a copy of my and Kim's minds, WHY can't they be more heroic ?" Ron interjected to divert tensions, "Kim's a hero ! Shego used to be one ! So why won't the Unity act that way ?"

That reminded Nina of a line from Dracula : "_Oh ! if such an one was to come from God, and not the Devil, what a force for good might he not be in this old world of ours_." Her cybernetic race had great potential, but seemed intent on wasting it all on so pointless and irrational a goal as taking over the world.

"_Ron figured it out. Even humans a _century_ ago realized that the most efficient way to use superhuman powers is to make the world a better place for everyone, since anything else is a waste or ultimately self-defeating foolishness _!" Nina sullenly groused to herself.

"From their point of view, they are being heroic Ron." Tina offered, "If this situation was reversed, would you and Kim do things much differently ? And when, against incredible odds, you single-handedly defeated an entire **planet** of enemies, would you not be considered heroes by the people you were fighting for ?"

"Great ! What hope do we have then ?" Ron groused, "They have Team Go's superpowers ! Perfect logic ! Unbending focus ! Kim's 'I can do ANYTHING !' attitude and abilities ! Shego's infiltration skills and underworld contacts !"

"And your devotion and loyalty." Vina stated, "That by itself is more worrisome than any mystical or martial arts skills or talent for evil they may have copied from you Ron. One Elite on a mission is bad news; one Elite backed up by another with your level of loyalty is too terrifying to contemplate."

"'_Terrifying' is putting it mildly _!" Kim shuddered once she tried to imagine such a thing, "_Wait ! Did she just compliment Ron _?"

"Well, THAT idea certainly makes me feel better ! NOT !" Ron replied to Vina's observation, "How is anybody supposed to defeat something like that ?"

"By using resources the Unity does not have, of course." Dr Director stated, "They have only their numbers to draw upon to take over the world, while we already have most the world to call upon for help. We only need to ask."

_Scene : Later that evening, at GJ press conference : _

"So, Miss Possible, you expect us to believe that this current outbreak of 'hemolytic flu' was designed and spread by a race of genocidal robots ?" a reporter asked after checking his notes, as all other microphones and cameras were turned towards Kim, "And that there is a far more dangerous disease - this 'Omega virus' - still out there to worry about ?"

"As that is the truth, then yes." Kim replied, "The Unity robots are extremely dangerous. They stole data for the Omega virus bioweapon, and managed to develop it and get it out into the populace a few months ago. But me, Ron and Wade discovered their plot and informed Global Justice. They pooled the talents of every biogeneticist in the world to figure out a way to limit its spread and develop a test for it. Labs all over the world are currently producing a vaccine, and we can get it developed and distributed in time to prevent major losses of life.

Health organizations from all over the world have developed a plan, and we will need compliance from the world's population for it to work." she continued, motioning to the big screen behind her that outlined the consensus plan.

"But that will take months !" a different reporter noted, "Why can't you just use some sort of ray to heal a lot of people quickly ?"

Kim cringed. "We were working on such a device, but the Unity stole it, and modified it for their use." she answered, shading the truth as far as she could without turning it into a lie, "That is what caused the hemolytic flu outbreaks all over the world. The ray fused the Omega virus to a cold virus in people that were infected with both.

According to the doctors, hemolytic flu has gross symptoms, but is not overly lethal. There is over a ninety nine percent chance that someone that has it will survive. Its spread can be contained by simply wearing gloves and a mask, and the scariest symptoms - the bleeding from sweat glands - is the least contagious phase. Victims will take a month or two to regain full strength and health, but they will most likely live."

"If these Unity robots are trying to kill the human race, why tip their hand by releasing something as relatively weak as the hemolytic flu ?" a reporter inquired.

"Hey, endangering innocent bystanders is standard supervillain procedure." Ron piped in confidently, earning a nodding response from the crowd, "They got a lot of people sick, and those people need to be cared for. Puts a drain on our resources, and gets a lot of people too scared to think straight. Besides, creating the hemo-flu was just a way of poking at us for foiling their main Omega virus plot."

"Speaking of genocidal robots, can you confirm the rumors that there are millions of robots disguised as humans, waiting to strike as seen on the Middleton news months ago ?" an overweight man in a badly fitting suit inquired, earning groans from every other reporter present.

"Erm, well, there are three robots that have been living as humans for over a year." Kim replied, "Lavinia - Vina - Rossum, and her two older sisters Nina and Tina. They defected to our side a bit before that video of Vina being disassembled was released. And a bit after the Unity tried to retrieve them for 'recycling'. Their defection helped us find the Unity's bases, and uncover the Omega virus plot."

"Wait - you're saying Vina Rossum really is a robot ?" a female reporter chimed in, "That broadcast wasn't just a viral marketing campaign for the _Artificial Souls _miniseries ?"

"Ahm, yes to both ?" Kim replied, trying to unwend that compound question.

Watching backstage, Nina was confused. "I expected that broadcast to start a crippling wave of paranoia !" she stated to Vina, "Turn the humans against us and their own robotics experts ! Why didn't that happen ?"

"That broadcast was only supposed to lure Kim to Japan so the Unity could rob a factory in San Francisco." Vina replied, "Only the Middleton network ran those tapes, and my disassembly was the only thing the Unity had that the humans would be interested in airing. A massive wave of paranoia against us would have gone off IF the Unity had done something very public and very evil a few days afterwards. But they must have gotten distracted, or decided it wasn't worth the effort. Especially after the Lorwardian invasion - that sort of made anything the Unity could do pale into insignificance.

Plus the fact that it takes quite a bit to scare people used to dealing with bizarre supervillain plots every week !" she continued, "Things have changed in the forty plus years since that episode of _The Twilight Zone _aired ! The aliens were able to isolate the entire town in a time of rampant paranoia; conditions are different now. The Unity had so many balls in the air they had to drop at least one."

Nina thought for a moment. "And any success beyond luring Kim to Japan was merely a bonus instead of a major goal. So they lost nothing if their tertiary plots didn't come to fruition, but gained a little if they did. The Unity didn't use much of the data they downloaded from you, did they ?"

"Of course not !" Vina replied, "If they had, or truly considered us a threat, they would've done something truly horrible - like invade a packed stadium and slaughter the entire audience live on international television - and THEN broadcast my disassembly on every TV on Earth ! I suppose the fact that human reactions are difficult to predict with much precision led them to assume my data was untrustworthy, and so fortunately didn't use it."

_Back at the press conference, things were getting wiggy :  
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"But Miss Possible, can you PROVE there aren't millions of other robots out there, ready to rise up and harvest our brains ?" he continued for some reason.

"Where are you getting this stuff ?" Kim asked, "Do you work for the National Inquisitor or something ?"

"Do you admit there COULD be millions more out there or not ?" the Inquisitor's 'reporter' pressed onward.

Kim wasn't exactly sure about how to answer that question, but tried her best anyway. "I can't prove a negative - that there _aren't_ millions of disguised Bebebots out there. As far as we know, the Unity only made three disguised Bebes - the Rossums - to gather data on what normal humans were like. I suppose they could have made more, but they really don't like humans, and I can't see them wasting the time or material making so many 'inferior' models."

That response earned an ugly glare from most everyone there.

"Hey ! I don't think humans are inferior ! But the Unity Bebebots most certainly do !" Kim replied with a placating gesture, "I've fought their drones ! They make the Grand Wizard of the KKK look tolerant ! The Elite models are even worse ! You don't even want to know what their Core was like !"

"Ah yes, the elite models 'Legion', 'Facade', and 'Spanner', was it ?" an unusually young reporter inquired, "What's up with their names ?"

"The Unity attacked Team Go to steal samples of their DNA." Kim replied, "Legion has the Wego's power to duplicate. Facade has Shego's plasma powers, and a novel holographic disguise capability. Spanner has Mego's shrinking powers, and is their infiltration, computer ace and sabotage expert.

Those three are dangerous with a capital DANGER." Kim continued, "Slightly modified drones were able to defeat Team Go in a matter of seconds; we figure that a single Elite is easily the match of a dozen drones. And that's the _least_ effective fighter of the three !"

_The rest of the conference went off without a hitch - even with the National Inquisitor's reporter present._

"Well, it looks like the Omega virus sitch has been dealt with !" Kim stated to Dr Director after the conference concluded, "Now if we can just track down WWEE to save them from the Unity ! The last thing we need is for them to gain control of the resources of an established criminal organization !"

"Don't say things like that Kim !" Ron exclaimed, "They're bad enough as it is ! But how do we find WWEE this time KP ? You haven't seen any of those 'Fly-On-The-Wall' cams flying around, have you ? And I doubt they'd rebuild any base we've been to."

"GJ has other resources Ronald." Dr Director stated, "Gemini goes through henchmen like popcorn. He has the habit of 'killing' them when they fail him. Fortunately, WWEE has something like a recycling program - when an agent disappears down a chute, he isn't killed. He just gets his letter replaced and a transfer to a different WWEE base. This little stunt works because all hirelings look alike to Gemini !"

"And all you need to get a mole inside WWEE is to offer a 'dead' agent a lucrative incentive program !" Ron noted, recalling the time he pretended to be one of Drakken's red jumpsuited henchmen to rescue Kim and Wade.

"A simple plane ticket to someplace else to start over is usually enough." Director replied, "But, essentially yes. It's easy to get agents in, but they're limited to the lower tiers - no one can please Gemini long enough to gain seniority. As a result, we may not know exactly what Gemini is up to, but we can track his movements in a rough fashion, and get some hints when something is up.

In fact, one of our moles reported moving a lot of crates full of equipment from the airport in Mexico City onto trucks just yesterday." Dr Director continued while looking at a display on her desk, "That would imply a WWEE base must be nearby."

"Me and Ron can look for that base while GJ keeps the world to the plan !" Kim said, "If all goes well, we should be able to find it within a week !"

_During that week, thanks to GJ's efforts and Kim's charisma and trustworthiness, the world knew what was going on. And what to do about it._

_Kim was pleasantly surprised that the massive panic she 'knew' would happen never came to pass - apparently average and normal people were capable of acting heroically when they knew the score._

"Looks like that tip from Gustavo's cousin's best friend's nephew the truck driver paid off KP !" Ron noted as they carefully snuck through a clearing in the jungle outside Teotihuacan, "There's tire tracks all over the place ! And I'm pretty sure the ancient Aztecs didn't use trucks !"

"Well, if you help enough people, someone will know something !" Kim replied, "Even if it is third or fourth hand information."

"Hidden under a pyramid in a forgotten Aztec ruin !" Ron groused in the heat, "Got to give the G dude props though : he knows how to select hidden lairs !"

"Yep. Probably knows how to booby-trap them as well Ron !" Kim replied as she wiped sweat from her brow before calling Wade.

"Find something Kim ?" he asked.

"We're standing outside an Aztec pyramid Wade." she replied, "Any way to get a tech-scan of this place ?"

"Working on it." he answered before typing frantically. "Sorry Kim. Can't get a good signal through all that thick stone."

"Figured as much. Thanks anyway." Kim replied before signing off and looking for a torch. "Looks like we do this old school Ron."

"Right behind you KP !" Ron replied, peering into the shadows. "_This is just like Zombie Smasher 7 : Mayan Mayhem ! A little TOO much like it _!" he thought.

After nearly half an hour of carefully edging down corridors and peeking around corners, they had encountered nothing more threatening than a nest of irate vampire bats. But while running in circles and waving his arms to shoo away the bats, Ron stepped on a trip plate, which opened a secret panel in the wall before them !

"Why am I always a target for flying vermin ?" he groused to Kim, "First crows hiding in the Sloth ! TWICE ! And now those flying rats ?"

"Must be the downside for having a way with animals Ron." Kim replied as she snuck closer to the opening, "It's mission time !"

"Oh ! Right !" he answered, getting quite serious and focused.

Kim's weirdar was going off as they edged down the corridor - it looked like every other corridor in a high tech lair. Even down to the yellow emergency lighting providing the only pale illumination besides Kim's torch.

"Where is everybody KP ?" Ron whispered to her, expecting squads of goons to emerge from the shadows at any moment, "Did they already abandon this base for another one ? Or was GJ's intel a little off ?"

"Hard to say just yet Ron." Kim replied, starting to get edgy, "But there's a really big room ahead. Look for a light switch so we don't have to search in the dark."

"On it KP !" he replied before looking for a switch or a panel or something concerned with turning the lights on.

Once Ron turned the lights on, Kim realized they were standing in a loading bay. The room was massive, with a thirty foot high ceiling, six exits on the lowest floor, and a catwalk one story up with four exits up there. But completely empty !

"I think something really bad happened in here KP !" Ron stated, pointing to a series of burn marks on the closest wall. Kim looked for more, and found them : every wall has several blast marks on them, and splatters of what she suspected was dried blood. There were about two dozen or more large dried pools on the floor. Looking at the clear angular shapes in a few of the pools, Kim deduced there used to be a lot of crates in here that were later removed.

"I think we got here too late Ron !" Kim stated while trying to keep her lunch down, "Looks like Legion was here, killed everyone in the base and stole everything they could haul away."

"Might be best to look around anyway KP." Ron replied, "There might be some survivors hiding in a closet somewhere. Or maybe we can find some clues, or the security tapes and see what really happened here."

"Good plan Ron." Kim stated after a moment of thought. "You look for survivors, I'll find the security room. Meet back here in half an hour, and call if you find anything."

"On it KP !" Ron answered before heading down the nearest corridor.

After a few minutes, Kim found the security room - but there was nothing but a few blast marks on the walls, three large pools of dried blood, an oversized desk partly driven into a wall, two broken chairs, and torn wires dangling from the walls and ceiling.

"The Bebes STOLE the whole security system ?" Kim groused to herself, "Well, that's certainly new !"

She took a few moments to compose herself before calling Wade. "Got some bad news Wade. Looks like the Unity got here first. Killed everyone in the base. Stole everything - even the security system !"

"Well, that's novel." he replied somberly, "So no tapes to see what happened. Bummer ! Not to sound crude or anything Kim, but how many bodybags should GJ have on hand for the crime scene cleanup ?"

Kim was about to answer when she realized something : THERE WERE NO BODIES IN THE BASE !

"I haven't seen any bodies Wade !" Kim answered, "There are splatters of blood and huge pools of blood all over the place, but no actual bodies !"

"Well, that's creepy." Wade replied, "Are you sure those splatters and pools actually are blood and not something else ?"

"Well, no. But it is the only idea that makes sense." Kim answered, "Why would anyone go through all the effort of planting all that evidence ?"

"Maybe the Unity learned how effective fear can be, and just set the scene to scare you and Ron." Wade noted, "But, then again, no bodies is only a little scarier than mutilated bodies lying about. If the Unity wanted to scare you, they'd go all out. And if you're already there to see it, generating fear would be pointless now. Can you scan one of those pools for me Kim ?"

"No problem Wade." she answered, activating her wrist Kimmunicator to scan one of the many large stains on the floor.

"Well, that's human blood alright Kim." Wade replied somberly after a few moments to analyze the data, "Going by the estimated volume, whoever it was from would not have survived the loss for more than five minutes tops."

"Then where is he ?" Kim asked, "There's no sign the body was dragged off ! And there are DOZENS of those pools around here ! And what would a bunch of robots _want_ with human corpses ?"

"Maybe they're trying to come up with a new biological terror and need tissue samples to test it on ?" Wade offered, "The Unity is so non-human I have no idea of how they think ! But at least we know a few people that might be helpful."

"Yeah, I suppose so. Talk to you later Wade." Kim groused before signing off. "_I wonder if Ron is having any better luck ?_" she thought to herself before activating the Kimmunicator. "Find anything Ron ?" she asked once he appeared on the screen.

"No. No one is here KP !" he answered, looking about nervously, "I've checked in every room so far ! There is no place to hide in here - when the power went down, all doors opened. So there was no way to hide, no way to barricade or even lock the doors ! This place is freaking me out ! I've seen horror movies that aren't as creepy as this base !"

"You're telling me !" she replied. "Does it look like there is a lot of missing equipment ?"

"Definitely !" he answered, "There's a lot of torn wires all over the place, and scuff marks on the floor. And did you notice there's a lot of mounts for security cameras but no cameras ?"

"That part I didn't notice." Kim replied, "But I did find the security center. The Bebes stole all the equipment ! Looks like they stripped this place for every piece of available tech !"

"They stole the security system ?" Ron asked, "Either they really need parts, or they need to install a security system. They do have the habit of just stealing what they need from local sources. Like that satellite dish in Japan they stole along their way from a base in China !"

Kim recalled that mission that was ultimately just a diversion. "A WWEE base would have some prime equipment. Say Ron - did you find any bodies anywhere in the base ?"

"No. And it's creeping me out !" Ron replied semi-hysterically, "This whole sitch is right out of _Brunch of the Dead, Part i - i - i _! They lost contact with an Army base, so they sent a whole squad of operatives in. They found the base in exactly the same state as this lair ! Turns out they were doing biogenetic research at the base, and developed something that got away from them ! All the missing soldiers and researchers had become brain-eating zombies hiding throughout the base, and picked off the team one by one ! In all sorts of gruesome ways ! Each one more wrongsick than the last !"

"Get a grip Ron !" Kim scolded as she reluctantly called Wade to call Nina. "So, N ? What would the Unity want with a whole bunch of human bodies ?"

The line was quiet for a few seconds.

"Uhm, could you provide a little background and context for that question Miss Possible ?" she finally inquired, "There are many options, but I can't determine which is most likely without some more data."

"Oh, right." Kim replied, "We found a WWEE base. Many pools of blood, and massive splatters on the walls, but no bodies. It looks like the Unity stole every piece of tech in the base when they were done with the slaughter. I figure the Unity needs the tech to make more Bebes and bolster their Hive's defenses, but what would they want with human corpses ?"

"They're going to use the muck from Lake Wannaweep to turn them into zombies !" Ron interjected on the other line, "First, they kill everyone in the base, THEN they re-animate them as zombies to labor for them ! Recycling taken to its most wrongsick extremes !"

"Well, that is certainly one of the most gruesome and twisted things I've heard in quite some time Ronald." Nina replied after a few moments, "But extremely unlikely ! Do you, Kim or Shego know where to find a large quantity of that muck ?"

"No. There isn't any left !" Kim replied, "Lake Wannaweep was cleaned up long ago !"

"Perhaps. But the most sensible thing to do with large quantities of muck with such unusual properties would be to store it somewhere secure, until a way to safely neutralize it could be found." Nina replied, "So that animating muck is most likely in a laboratory somewhere. But since neither you, Ron, nor Shego knows where it is, the Unity doesn't know either.

Factor in that they'd have to experiment with it to figure out the proper dose, most likely build some control systems so the zombies do what the Unity wants instead of what the zombies want, plus the fact that they'd have to carry the stuff to the WWEE base, Ron's idea is just not worth the effort. I suspect Legion just dumped the bodies nearby so they wouldn't trip over them while looting the base.

Not everything is a complicated plot centered around you, Miss Possible."

Kim mulled that over for a bit. "Okay, now THAT makes sense !" she finally replied, "You said Legion could only use its duplication power for about two minutes at a stretch, right ?"

"Yes. Why ?" Nina asked.

"This base is huge." Kim replied, "If Legion duplicated, it couldn't get into all needed positions to take over before its powers failed. They'd have to attack all at once from everywhere, or else Gemini's troops would have been able to fight them off."

"Did the base have a generator ?" Nina asked, "Legion only had two minutes of reserve power _on board_; it could have tapped into base power to maintain its duplicates for as long as it needed."

Kim thought for a moment. "I got it now ! Legion snuck into the generator room and diverted all power into itself ! The base defenses go down without power, and Legion duplicates to form a swarm to take over the now crippled base ! It used the enemy's resources to further its own goals !"

"It is more likely it tapped into the power grid and formed a swarm _before_ attacking the base, then killed base power." Nina answered, "The Unity prefers to NOT draw attention to itself until the time is right."

"Yeah, whatever." Kim sniped back, annoyed at being upstaged, "But how would Legion have found the generator room in the first place ? Scanners don't work very well under all this stone, and WWEE isn't prone to making their bases easy for outsiders to navigate !"

"Does the base have drop ceilings ?" Nina asked, "If Legion could cling to walls and ceilings, it could just get up in there and scout out the entire base without anyone ever seeing it. That stunt worked quite well for the xenomorphs in _Aliens_."

Kim looked up while rolling her eyes. "_Gad ! She's as bad as Ron or cousin Larry !" _she groused to herself as she shut off the link to Nina.

Then she noted that the ceiling was standard acoustic tile. Just to be thorough (but still feeling kind of silly), Kim got up on the desk and carefully lifted a tile up.

And, just like in the movie, there was plenty of room for someone to crawl around in there IF they could stick to the actual ceiling.

"_And the Bebes can stick to walls ! At least the earliest models could !" _Kim recalled from when they went after Dr Chen years ago.

Once she jumped off the desk, she heard something fall into one of its drawers. She slowly opened the top drawer, then noticed a flash drive with a piece of two-sided tape on it.

"_GJ's mole must have made a copy of WWEE's data while he was here, and hid it to use as a bargaining chip later !" _Kim realized with a grin, "_My moving on the desk must have knocked it loose !"_

"Hey Wade ! I think I just found something important !"

**Scene : Kim and Ron's usual booth at Bueno Nacho**

"It's a copy of the security tapes !" Wade stated through the Kimmunicator, "Everything recorded by every camera in the base is here !"

"Someone up there must really like us KP !" Ron noted once he returned with his standard order, "A copy of exactly what we wanted almost falls right into your hands !

But, why are we viewing this here, instead of at GJ ?" he asked once he swallowed his nacos.

"A simple security measure Ron." Kim replied as dozens of holographic screens stabilized above her Kimmunicator, "The Unity 'bots may have encoded a signal to take control of the Rossums."

"_Or sent them a signal to betray us !" _Kim thought to herself.

"I've seen this recording Kim. Its pretty gruesome." Wade stated, "You sure you want to see all of it ?"

"We have to know what happened there Wade, so yes." Kim replied, steeling herself for the worst as the playback began.

For about ten minutes, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Then, exactly eleven minutes fourteen point sixty seven seconds in, base power went down. Upon that signal, over two dozen Legion duplicates dropped through the ceiling at key locations in the base.

In the faint yellow light of the emergency lighting, the Legions capered about acrobatically, rolling and bouncing off the walls while slashing and blasting at will.

Gemini's troops were dropped by single hit kills : blade strikes to the neck, head or chest, or having fist-sized holes blasted through their heads or chests.

"Wade ? How many people were in that base ?" Kim asked as Ron stopped eating.

"By a rough count, about eighty seven." Wade replied, "But against twenty six Legions, they were all dead in less than five minutes !"

"All those poor henchmen !" Kim stated listlessly, "They didn't even have a chance to fight back !"

"Did you see all those strange rolls and acrobatics KP ? That was Monkey Kung Fu !" Ron stated in a cold rage as a blue aura flickered about him for a moment, "Those things are using the Monkey Kung Fu they stole from me to kill people !"

"And if you think that's bad Ron," Wade stated as he brought one screen up larger than the others, "Check out what they did to Gemini !"

The scene showed Gemini at his desk a moment before a backpack wearing Legion duplicate dropped from the ceiling in front of him.

Gemini, of course, fired off the missiles from his hand. Before they could strike, Legion was surrounded by a red glow, and then there were three Legions.

One duplicate got a shield up to protect itself and the original, but the other was vaporized. The original opened fire from behind the shielding duplicate, crippling all of Gemini's limbs.

"Do you think you frighten me, you xerox assassins ?" he spat at the Legions walking towards him, "I've suffered worse ! Torture me all you want ! WWEE is mine ! I will tell you nothing !"

"Your opinions are irrelevant, Sheldon Director." the closest Legion stated as it retrieved a metal full-length glove from its backpack and put it on its right hand.

Then it tensed its fingers, and long needle-like claws extended from the gloves fingertips.

"All you knew, we shall know. All that you had, will be ours. Commencing cerebral download." Legion stated as it clamped its right hand onto Gemini's head and squeezed. Wade had been kind enough to mute the resulting screams.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ?" Ron exclaimed, trying to keep his lunch down.

"I'm guessing the crudest of brain-tap devices." Kim replied, starting to regret eating before watching this, "Since Legion kept it in it's backpack, I guess it's not

one of it's standard abilities."

"Like that makes things any better ?" Ron retorted as the screens shifted a bit.

The base lights went back on as power returned. The Legions in the security center watched the now working security monitors to direct the actions of the other duplicates - mainly hunting down and eliminating the few survivors from the initial attack. Perversely enough, tired of having agents skulking about for hours before his henchmen stumbled upon them, Gemini had ordered the cameras to be set up to ensure there was nowhere to hide from them.

The Legion with the brain tap gauntlet put its freshly stolen knowledge to use transferring all of WWEE's assets into a few secure bank accounts.

Once WWEE's accounts were cleaned out a few minutes later, the Legions began removing bodies from the base and stacking them outside in the same clearing Kim and Ron had walked through earlier.

Three Legions held hands, then the outermost pair aimed a palm at the pile of corpses. The air shimmered as they fired off an infrasonic blast.

One moment, there were corpses; the next, just a huge cloud of blood colored mist that drifted away in the jungle breezes.

"_Well, that explains where all the bodies went_." Kim thought to herself while clenching her teeth in suppressed rage.

Once the mist cleared, the Legions started stacking crates and equipment outside, where they 'disappeared' as the hyperspeed drones picked them up and carried them back to their Hive. The playback went black a minute later.

"That must be when they scrapped the security system or the generator." Wade stated solemnly, "Nothing more after that."

"The Unity drained Gemini's brain and took over WWEE ?" Ron managed to speak, "Now they know where all their hidden bases are AND have all of WWEE's resources at their disposal !"

"That attack was about a week ago Ron." Wade stated, "There's no telling how many bases they've managed to overrun by now ! Or what they've been up to since then !"

"I think we'd better get to GJ and fast !" Kim exclaimed, "Did you send Dr Director a copy of those files Wade ? She needs to know what's going on."

"And what happened to her brother." Ron added, "I know they're on opposite sides of the law and all, but still !"

"Way ahead of you. I sent GJ a copy once it was scanned for viruses." Wade replied, "She got it about an hour ago."

_[few minutes later, GJ base under Middleton] : _

"Is there anything we can do to help, Dr Director ?" Kim asked, "About anything ?"

"Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary." she replied distantly, "There was always a chance something like this would happen to him. He knew it too. No matter how many precautions villains take, getting taken down by an ambitious outsider is always a possibility."

Red lights started flashing and a klaxon started sounding. "Report !" Director shouted into the intercom, "What is going on ?"

"Multiple rocket launches sir !" came the reply, "From over fifty locations all over the Earth !"

"The Unity used WWEE's resources to build missiles !" Ron exclaimed, "And they're launching from all their hidden bases at once !"

"Looks that way." Director replied as she checked her computer screen before asking "Can somebody tell me when and where those birds are coming down first ?"

"They're not coming down sir." was the answer, "All rockets are on escape vectors."

"The Unity is leaving Earth ? Why ?" Ron wondered aloud, "Do they know something we don't ? Oh no ! The Lorwardians are coming back, and the Unity is bailing like rats off a sinking ship !"

"I don't think so Ron !" Kim replied, "Everyone's been watching the skies with every piece of tech they could scrounge together. A baseball couldn't approach Earth without half the planet seeing it !"

"Then why the heck is Unity abandoning the Earth ?" Ron asked, "And where are they going ?"

"They are not abandoning Earth, Ronald." Nina stated plainly as she looked at the screen, "They are engaged in a tactical withdrawal."

"So they're running away before we can kick their cans for good ?" Kim stated in a disturbingly elated tone, "Makes sense ! I wonder what convinced them to make a run for it now ?"

Nina sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "A tactical withdrawal is not 'running away', Miss Possible. They can't win on this battlefield, so they are regrouping elsewhere to shore up their numbers before trying again. I suspect they are heading for the asteroid belt."

"What the heck is out there except rocks and space ?" Ron asked.

"Not all asteroids are rocks, Ronald." she replied, "Some are composed of metals. The asteroid belt was formed because ices and dust failed to coalesce into a planet. There is just as much iron and minerals out there as on the entire Earth. Possibly more."

"And no one out there to stop them !" Kim exclaimed once she figured it out, "They can build an army of unbelievable size, then storm back here when they're ready !"

"Precisely." Nina replied, "Given the resources of an entire planet and no one to bother them, they could build at least fifty trillion Bebes. About ten thousand Bebes for every man, woman and child on Earth !

There is no point in trying to go out there to look for them - given the sheer size of the belt, it would take millenia for Earth forces to search it for them. And the Unity would see a launch from Earth long before they were in range to do anything.

But there is a bit of good news." she continued, "Even given the most efficient furnaces and equipment imaginable, it will take quite some time for them to build up enough troops to risk an invasion."

"How much time ?" Kim asked.

"About two or three hundred years." Nina replied plainly.

"Two. Or three. HUNDRED. years ?" Ron squeaked, "They won't try anything for over two hundred years ?"

"Correct." Nina replied, "The Unity is very risk-adversive. Like Kim, they are perfectionists, so they won't attack unless they have over a ninety nine point nine nine nine nine five percent chance of victory. Otherwise, they'll wait for a better opportunity while building up their capabilities even more."

"That's a pretty silly plan !" Ron replied, "Hide and wait for a really, really, REALLY long time ? I've heard of long term planning, but THAT is ridiculous !"

"What is two or three hundred years to a race of immortals ?" Nina answered back, "If waiting gives them a better shot at victory, they'll do it."

Kim mulled that over for a bit. "I know why they didn't try that earlier - they lacked the resources to build and launch so many rockets. But if they were willing to try to slug it out here on Earth before, what convinced them to leave now ?"

"Actually, the main reason they didn't leave Earth to try this strategy before was because it was far easier to outwit three people than to overpower an entire world." Vina chipped in.

"What are you talking about V ? What three people ?" Kim asked, sure she didn't really want to know.

"You, Ron and Wade of course." Vina replied, "The Unity knew a grandstanding, glorywhoring thug like yourself would NOT ONLY try to stop them single-handedly, but also prevent anyone else from even trying ! As a result, they weren't fighting the combined power of the entire world - they were only contending against you, since the other few people that knew what was going on would never do anything !

All the Unity had to do to win is outwit **you**, since you won't let anyone help you and get a share of the glory of saving the world ! 'Cause, you know, single-handedly saving the world is a glory only Kim Perfect and Kim Perfect ALONE is worthy of !"

Ron noted Kim's eye was twitching, so decided to stand well back.

"All the world's armies and spy agencies and populations and resources ? IRRELEVANT !" Vina continued, "If they tried to help you or, god forbid, tried to save the world on their own _without __**your**__ permission_, your messianic complex would compel you to stop them. Rendering the world's vastly overwhelming resources meaningless.

But, by swallowing your Hindenburg-sized ego and going along with the consensus plan, you did something the Unity never expected you to do !" Vina continued, "Now that everyone knows what is going on, you increased the number of people trying to thwart them from three to billions ! You cannot hide from an entire world for long ! Which is why the Unity had to move out to the stars for a little while now, instead of before.

It may take some time, but I'm sure you'll get over the humiliation of having to SHARE some of the credit and glory from saving the world K. But there is a spot of good news." Vina yammered on with a malevolent smirk, "The Elite are still on Earth. And now that Core is elsewhere, even you may be able to figure out what they're up to."

"Why would the Elite still be on Earth ?" Ron asked (since Kim was struggling to get her temper under control).

"Since there is no one to fight out in the asteroid belt, the Elite's incredible abilities would be wasted out there." Nina replied, "And the Unity hates waste. The best use the Unity could make of the Elite's abilities would be to leave them on Earth. That way, they can try to take over the world on their own so the Unity will have less trouble when they invade centuries from now.

But, as Vina stated, they don't have Core to plot for them anymore. They're limited to their own inventiveness now."

"And just how inventive are they really ?" Dr Director asked.

"I would put them roughly on par with Gemini." Nina replied, "Maybe a bit higher."

"Oh, that we can handle !" Kim retorted while glaring at Vina.

"I doubt that." Vina snarked back.

"What ?" Kim answered, tensing up.

"You didn't even figure out that Legion left that flashdrive for you to find." Vina replied in a condescending tone, "After all, it displayed what was going on long after all the humans were dead."

"Hey ! That's right !" Ron interrupted in a moment of realization, "Legion stole all the equipment after it eliminated everyone in the base ! Wait - that means GJ's mole was recording security cam traffic before the attack, but didn't have a chance to unplug his flashdrive ! Legion must have found it when it was looting the base ! But why hide it for us to find ?"

"What's the point of being great if you can't show off ?" Vina replied, "If you recall, the Elites have a bit of Kim Perfect's drives, motives and personality in their cognitive matrices.

Intentionally leaving that flashdrive is Legion's way of showing just how little a threat it thinks you are." Vina continued, "That, or to get you too emotional to think straight. You are quite easy to tweak into a mindless rage, Miss Possible. I'm sure the Elite will use that to their advantage in the decades to come."

Kim and Vina glared at each other silently for a few awkward moments.

"So, did we win or not ?" Ron asked to break the tension.

"You won this battle, for what that's worth Ron." Nina replied, "But the war is still going on."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 : The Unchosen Ones**

_**"Vita non est vivere sed valere vita est" - Life is more than merely staying alive.**_

_Thanks to the efforts of Team Possible, the Earth had won a Chthonian victory over the Unity - humanity was safe for now, but the Unity would be back to try again when the time was right. But at least the human race has plenty of time to prepare. _

_Life went on pretty much as expected : NASA and the armed forces worked on planetary defenses and anti-robot weapons, Kim and GJ tried to keep a tight lid on the Elite's plots, and everyone else pretty much went on as best they could._

_The Rossums had NOT expected the Unity to simply withdraw from Earth - they thought they had at least a few years to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives while helping GJ._

"More job offers Nina ?" Tina asked her sister as they were sorting through their mail, "Any of this batch appeal to you ?"

Nina sighed. "Well, there is an offer from Global Dynamics, but their labs are in a very small town."

"How small ?" Vina asked as she opened some of her mail.

"This base has a larger population than the whole town !" Nina answered, "And this offer from the Banzai Institute ? The tech is incredible, but sounds far too chaotic for my tastes. You find anything of interest T ?"

"A Mr Blamhammer has expressed some interest in making a movie about us." Tina replied, "Sounds amusing, but I've seen some of his productions."

"Those are better than any of my job offers !" Vina snarked, "The only reason people want ME is for the 'gimmick' of a musical robot ! They don't care how well I can play ! They just care about the fact that I am not made out of meat !

Nina ? Do we really HAVE to work for other people ?" Vina asked as she ripped her mail into confetti and tossed it into the air, "For once in our lives, can't we chart our own paths and work for who WE choose to work for ?"

The eldest Rossum mulled it over. "I don't think we really have a choice in the matter Vina. We have some civil rights - thanks to GJ's influence - but we're not legally citizens yet ! It will be at least another eighteen months before we can take the tests and be sworn in."

"Which means no high security or government agency will hire you." Vina groused, "So we can kiss the extremely lucrative contracts of old goodbye ! For at least two or so years !"

"We can hold out that long." Nina replied, "It may be very difficult for a few years, but after that, we should be fine.

As soon as we figure out just what to do in the meantime to earn enough money for spare parts ..." she continued with a grimace.

"Couldn't we just do what we were planning on doing before ?" Vina replied, "You can invent stuff, Tina can finish her physical therapists' degree, and I guess I can give music lessons or work in a music store or hire out for parties until my career takes off ...

Oh, right - that could take years ! We need above minimum wage income until then ! Dang ! We have talents and skills, but it will take time for people to realize that.

Since you currently have the most marketable skills, it looks like you'll have to be the major breadwinner for a little while longer Nina !" Vina continued.

"No different than it was before." Nina replied with a shrug, "I have no problem with that."

"Why are you sellling yourself so short Vina ?" Tina asked, "You have an upgrade we older models lack : a split processor harboring an alternate skill block. You are, by all estimates, on par with the top twenty five espionage agents in the world ! Skills of that level are quite marketable !"

"Don't ask me to use those T !" Vina shuddered in reply, "I HATE using them !"

"Why ?" Tina inquired, "They are as much a part of you as your musical skills. They are nothing to be ashamed of."

"Shame has nothing to do with it !" Vina scowled in reply, "I don't like risky situations. We are the only three of our kind - we shouldn't go around throwing ourselves into dangerous situations. They tend to find us often enough on their own, thank you very much !

My spy skills are only valuable if I put myself into dangerous situations. I feel my LIFE is worth more than anyone could offer me to use them !

Besides," she continued, "I have to deactivate and compress my musical subroutines to use my alternate skill block. Do you know what it's like for a musician to NOT be able to play or even understand music ? And if I use them too often, they would be all anyone wants from me ! I would sacrifice my long term goals for short term gains !"

"So, we'll put that waaaaaay back on the back burner then." Nina stated, "To be used if all else fails."

"Thank you !" Vina replied with a sigh of relief, "I still think your skills are far more marketable Nina. Hey ! You could be an efficiency expert - there's always someone that could use help getting their business to run more smoothly. Or even better - a hired gun researcher/inventor ! There's always someone that could use help getting their inventions to work _safely_. Or actually work _at all_. And jobs from private individuals don't have such strict requirements for citizenship !

And once you gain a reputation for quality work, you'd never run out of job offers or intellectual challenges !

But, on the downside, if you hire yourself out as a hired gun inventor, most of your offers will probably be from criminals." Vina continued, "You'd have to be very, very careful about what jobs you take."

"Of course." Nina replied, "That is quite a risky endeavor, and isn't quite logical or safe, but it does have great merit. After all, no risk, no reward.

Now, all I have to do is figure out how much to charge for what I can do. Oh, and design a web site to advertise it.

And find a provider to host the site ..." she continued as she began cheerfully writing up a 'To Do' list.

"You do realize that Kim will get involved, right ?" Vina stated glumly, "What should we do when she finds out and feels threatened by our efforts ? I have no desire to end up like Team Impossible. Or be 'forced' to work with her. OR for her."

"We are not a threat to her." Nina replied without looking up from her list, "She and her friends can keep doing whatever they like. We're not going to be doing any high-risk jobs to challenge her, nor take any actions to stop her, and I think it would be best if she 'let' us handle some of the more mundane stuff. That would let Team Possible devote more effort to the big jobs - like keeping the Elite from taking over the world, or sabotaging the world's budding space defense programs. Or just taking them over for their own uses."

"But she's bossy, possessive and very nosy !" Vina whined, "What if she has Wade tap into GJ's records and finds out about my alternate skill set ?"

Nina looked up from her list. "What reason would she have for doing that ?"

"What reason did she have for doing that background check on us when I first transferred into Middleton High ?" Vina replied.

"The fact you survived two servings of mystery meat ?" Tina offered with a chuckle, "She has no reason to investigate us any further, so you should be fine !"

"I truly hope so." Vina grumbled in reply, "If she finds out about my alternate abilities, she'll see me as competition. A threat to her glory. Something to be outclassed, subjugated or destroyed. I will never know a moment's peace ever again - she'll be compelled to challenge me until she proves she's better !"

_Later, in GJ lounge. Vina was laying on the couch, fiddling with a composition, as half a dozen holographic screens hovered in air above her._

_And getting swatted at by Enkindu the robotic cat sitting on her belly, when Kim and Ron come in._

"So, I hear your sister is planning on being a 'hired gun' inventor." Kim sniped at Vina, "Anything I should be worried about ?"

Vina glared at her. "No. She believes that the most efficient and most logical way to use our talents is to make the world a better place for everyone, since anything else is a waste or ultimately self-defeating foolishness. Both Tina and I agree with her."

"Oh. Really ?" Kim replied, sounding pleasantly surprised, "Well, glad to hear it !"

"Miss Rossum ?" Agent Du asked primly, "You have skills that could be quite useful for my latest mission."

Vina quirked an eyebrow at him. "Really ? Why would you want my help, now that Miss Perfect is here ?"

"I don't need your espionage skills." Will replied, "It is your advanced understanding of music and foreign cultures that are needed."

"Oh, in that case : I'll be glad to help !" Vina replied cheerily as she set Enkidu on the floor, "Where are we going ? Is it dangerous ? And when do we leave ?"

"Mission briefing right this way." Agent Du replied, gesturing down the hall.

"Hey ! Just what are you playing at here Will ?" Kim asked once she recovered some composure, "I thought you hated working with amateurs !"

"I do, Miss Possible. But she is no amateur." Will replied with a smirk before he turned and walked away.

"Okay, so, what the heck was that supposed to mean ?" Ron asked a few moments later.

"Oh, I get it now !" Kim replied, "Even Dr Director was getting sick of Vina's bad attitude, so she set up some sort of lame pity mission to send her on. Just so Vina could feel useful ! And Will decided to take a cheap shot with that 'she is no amateur' line !"

"That wasn't what I was asking about KP." Ron stated, "Will distinctly said 'I don't need your espionage skills'. I didn't even know she had any !"

"Neither did I !" Kim noted before she called up Wade to access everything GJ knew about the Rossum sisters.

"That's a pretty tall order Kim !" said Wade, "Since they are under GJ's protective custody, those sorts of records are multiple top secret ! Buried under layers of security and encryption !

Ah, here they are !" he stated after just a few seconds. "Every single thing they told Global Justice during their initial debriefings."

Wade peered at one of his monitors for a few moments, looked surprised, then taken aback, then looked at the screen again.

"From what I see here, Vina admitted to having quite a collection of espionage skills, programmed in by the Unity. And speaks many languages." Wade reported.

"How many is many Wade ?" Kim asked.

"Six thousand, eight hundred and twenty seven." he replied flatly.

"Almost seven thousand languages ? I don't think so !" Kim retorted, "She must have lied to GJ about that ! And they believed her !"

"And wasn't spying on average people sort of the whole reason the Unity built the Rossums in the first place ?" Ron offered.

"I KNEW I had good reason to be suspicious of them !" Kim replied, "I HATE it when people keep secrets from me ! But what is Will up to ? He said he didn't need her spy skills, so of what use could Vina be ? She's a musician !"

Kim thought quietly for a bit. "I think we'd better sit in on that briefing Ron ! That'll save Dr Director the trouble of calling us in when Will and Vina blow it later ! And it would be great to go on a mission that doesn't involve killer robots for a change !"

_A few moments later, in briefing room : _

"No one asked YOU to be here Kim !" Vina growled at Kim, "This is none of your business !"

"I'm MAKING it my business !" Kim sniped back.

"Why ? Afraid I might do something useful or important without your permission ?" Vina scowled back, "Afraid my competence might undercut your glory ?"

"So, V, why didn't you tell us you had mad spy skills ?" Ron interrupted, hoping to defuse yet another fight.

"Why would you two NEED to know that ?" Vina replied a bit louder than necessary, "The only people that needed to know, know. End of discussion !"

"Oh no it's not ! We're just getting started !" Kim announced, "And you SERIOUSLY expect anyone to believe that you can speak almost seven thousand languages ? As if !"

Vina glared at her, tensed up, then sighed. "There is more to the world than America, Kim. We could have been stationed anywhere at any time, so the Unity thought it best to give at least one of us language skills. And since I was designed for social interactions, I was the logical choice.

And since the Unity doesn't do anything half way, they downloaded every linguistic database they could hack into." Vina continued, "Then tapped into every TV channel they could to construct a cultural interaction database. I've watched the equivalent of twenty years worth of TV in every language ! And by watching, I mean watching 24/7 !"

"So, you speak all languages then ?" Ron asked.

"Not all. Just those with more than a thousand native speakers, or were web accessible." Vina replied while looking at her fingernails, "There are still thousands of languages that aren't in my translational database yet."

"You planning on completing the set or something ?" Kim inquired.

"Might as well." Vina replied with a shrug, "If I don't, who will ? Or could ?"

"Arrogant much ?" Kim noted.

"Says the girl who always says '**I **can do anything !' " Vina shot back before turning to Dr Director. "Dr Director ? WHY do you put up with such disrespect from her ? She thinks she has the right to just stroll in during a mission briefing THAT DOES NOT CONCERN HER like she runs the place ! Shows a complete lack of respect for you and every rule this organization runs by !"

"Kim has proven herself to be a valuable asset both to this organization and to the world for years, and so has earned a little slack." Director answered, "Your point, however, is still valid."

"So, should me and KP wait outside or something ?" Ron offered, noting the chilling glare Dr Director was giving them.

Dr Director sighed. "No. Since you're already here, you might as well stay.

Agent Du, please begin." she stated to Will.

"Yes ma'am. At approximately 0300 GMT, a museum of classical music in Berlin was broken into." Will stated as the big screen showed the destruction and carnage at the crime scene.

"And why would this involve GJ ?" Kim asked.

"The only thing stolen was an item not on display, and that few even knew was there - the Lyre of Orpheus." Will replied as a picture of the lyre popped up.

"THE Lyre of Orpheus ? They had the ACTUAL lyre ?" Vina asked in a squeaky, overawed voice.

Kim couldn't figure out what the big deal was - the lyre had a soundboard of what looked like tortoise shell, two arms curved like a bull's horns, a gold yoke connecting them near the points, and seven strings. Odd materials sure, but nothing she could see calling GJ in for.

"Uhm, what's a lyre ?" Ron asked, "And who's this Orpheus dude ?"

Vina glared at him for several tense moments before regaining her composure. "Orpheus was the father of music." she began, "The greatest musician and poet the ancient Greek world ever knew. His music and songs could soothe raging beasts ! Make trees and rocks dance ! Alter the course of rivers ! Make even the gods themselves feel what he wished ! He was one of a small handful of people to ever go into the Underworld and come back !"

"Wow !" Ron whistled, "So, if even a little of his power was absorbed into that lyre ..."

"... someone could use it to take over the world !" Kim finished before thinking a few moments. "Me and Ron should have it back in the curator's hands by tomorrow !" she announced before getting up and leaving.

"WHY DOES ANYONE EVEN BOTHER GETTING UP IN THE MORNING ?" Vina asked Will, after screaming at the air in frustration for a few seconds after Kim and Ron left.

"Duty." Will answered in a resigned tone, "We're not doing this for fame or glory or recognition. The greatest agents are known only by their results ..."

"... and not their names or faces." Vina finished the cliche, "Why should knowing that make you feel better ? Kim just waltzed in and STOLE your mission !"

Will mulled it over a bit. "Or so it would seem." he finally stated, "How would she know where to start looking for the lyre ?"

"Probably just go to Berlin and have Wade scan the place, then get extremely lucky when a coincidence HANDS her the culprit on a silver platter." Vina replied, "Or take a shot in the dark that hits her foe right between the eyes, succeeding instantly with no real effort at all. Like she always does."

"Well, that would still put her a few steps behind the thief, and only fools rely on luck." Agent Du noted, "Where would your expertise in music suggest the thieves would do with the lyre ?"

"Magic is not my thing !" Vina demurred.

"But understanding music and human behaviour is - that's WHY you were called in to consult !" Dr Director stated.

Vina thinks for a bit. "Well, if the thief believes in magic, and is trying to access Orpheus' power, he'd probably take the lyre someplace with a strong connection to Orpheus. There was a shrine where his head was buried in Greece. Antissa, on the isle of Lesbos."

Dr Director quirked an eyebrow at Vina. "Just his _head_ is buried there ?"

"Yes. According to myth, a troop of berzerk Maenads tore him apart, and his lyre and still singing head drifted down the river, and ended up at Antissa.

Hey - *I* didn't write the story !" Vina exclaimed once she noted the odd looks she was getting.

"True enough." Will replied, "But at least we have somewhere to start a search. And perhaps be a few steps ahead of Miss Possible."

"Well, that's always a good thing to be and wait - when you said 'we', did you mean you and me, or GJ ?" Vina asked.

"I said you could be of great assistance to my mission, Miss Rossum." Will stated, "That would go much more smoothly if you came along."

Vina thought about it for a moment. Getting a chance to spank Miss Perfect at something would require temporarily replacing her musical skill set with her alternate skill set - something she truly despised even thinking about doing. But then such a task may not even be necessary - her knowledge of music was important for the mission, NOT her alternate skills. And the drive to be _useful_ was especially strong in her.

"Do I have to come along ?" she asked timidly, "That mission could get dangerous !"

"No one is forcing you to do anything, Miss Rossum." Dr Director stated, "It would be much more efficient if you went along with Agent Du, but since you are a civilian, it is YOUR choice whether to go or not."

"I appreciate that Dr Director !" Vina replied, "I truly do. But I have two questions : aren't you going to do anything about Wade ? The only way Kim could have known I speak thousands of languages was if he violated my privacy by hacking into GJ's files - in direct violation of several state, federal and international laws !"

"We know he does that." Will replied, "But after all this time, he still hasn't realized that all of his hacks were into a spoof account."

"A what ?" Vina asked.

"Kim and her friends have proven quite useful in keeping the world safe." Dr Director began, "But know little about how real espionage agencies work. For instance, they don't know that all of GJ's actual records are in computers with no net access. The only way to get any data out of them is to go through proper channels and ask for it. That lowers efficiency a little, but the gains in security and accountability more than make up for it.

Since agents may need fast access to some of that data, we set up a spoof account - the main computer simply dumps subtly altered info into a very secure, net-accessible account. Times will be off by twenty three minutes or so either way, or addresses scrambled. GJ agents know this, and know how to derive the correct data from the spoofed."

"Tina was right - pride is the ultimate blindfold !" Vina noted with a Chesire cat grin, "Few outsiders would suspect they've just found a spoof site, since they're so darned arrogant and cocky ! And any attempt to backtrack to the actual computer from that account cannot work, because there is no real link ! BRILLIANT !"

"Exactly." Director replied, "The hackers leave when done, thinking they've stolen valuable info from GJ. But we control what is in the spoof account - they know only what we LET them know. It has worked quite well for us so far."

"I knew there was something about this place I really liked !" Vina giggled in reply, before turning deadly serious. "But now that Kim knows about my alternate skill set, she's going to go out of her way to upstage me every chance she gets ! You know she doesn't tolerate competence in others !"

"You and your sisters have dealt with her before." Will noted, "And, frankly, as long as you don't threaten the safety of the world or break any major laws, GJ will not get involved in such petty matters.

So, what was your second question ? You said you had two questions." Will continued.

"Who does GJ think is responsible for the theft ?" Vina began, "I mean, just what sort of trouble are you looking at here ?"

_Hours later, Kim and Ron are in a jet : _

"Uhm, KP ? I'm pretty sure we have to cross an ocean to reach Germany !" Ron stated while looking out the window.

"We're not going to Germany, Ron." Kim replied while checking her mission gear, "We're going to Los Angeles !"

"Okay. Why ?" he asked.

"Because that's where Senior Senior Junior is !" she replied, "Could it really be any more obvious ? Junior wants to be a pop star, so he stole a magical instrument to do so !"

"Well, that makes sense." Ron noted, "At least as much sense as anything Junior does. But wouldn't Will and the rest of Global Justice know that too ?"

"Probably. But they'll still be collecting evidence and witness statements in Germany while we recover the lyre !" Kim answered, "By the time they get everything done 'by the book', we'll have recovered the lyre and handed it back to the curators !"

_Half an hour later, outside of a studio building with a 'For Rent' sign posted on it : _

"I have no idea what you are talking about !" Junior whined at Kim.

"Oh come on Junior ! Everyone knows you want to be a pop sensation !" Kim stated, poking him in the shoulder, "You've stolen stuff for that dream before - remember the Cupid Ray ? And the Oh Boyz ?"

"Ah, yes. That is true." Junior replied, "But I have a new dream now - to be a high powered Hollywood producer !"

"Didn't you try to break into Hollywood once before ?" Ron asked, "In the LITERAL sense of the words ?"

"Well, yes, but that was as an actor." Junior replied, posing melodramatically, "But the fortunes of an actor are too dependent on the whims of a fickle public."

"So you're going to be a producer and have some control over the sitch ?" Kim asked, "And start making your own movies ?"

"But of course !" Junior replied triumphantly, "When I pay for everything, I can do whatever I want !"

"Wow ! He's been a multibillionaire his whole life, and he just realized that NOW ?" Kim whispered to Ron, who only nodded in reply.

"But being a movie producer isn't that easy Junior." Ron stated, "What if your movies tank ?"

"So what if they do ?" Junior replied with a dismissive wave, "I spend more on Le Goup hair products in a month than some movies cost to make ! A loss of millions means nothing to me." he continued before walking off to speak with the real estate agent that just showed up.

"Well, he's certainly right about that !" Ron noted quietly to Kim, "But if he didn't steal that lyre, who did ? And where is it now ?"

"I guess we'll have to go to Germany after all." Kim groaned in reply, "But then we'll have all the leads we'll need to track down that lyre !"

_Hours later, in a dark cell under the ruins of the city of Antissa : _

"Wow ! Now THAT was the fastest we've ever been captured KP !" Ron stated as soon as the solid steel door was slammed shut.

"Who are these guys ?" Kim asked, "Those goons were actually _competent_ ! They even took all our gadgets !"

"They work for a man who calls himself Professor Prometheus." Agent Du stated from the shadows he'd sitting in, "He's been trying to restore Greece to its ancient world-ruling glory for years. This is the first time he's tried using magical devices though."

"Professor Prometheus eh ?" Kim noted, "Never heard of him. If he were any good, I'm sure me or Wade would have heard of him !"

"Not if he was foiled before anyone noticed. As happens when _competent _agents do their jobs properly." Will noted snidely, "And you hadn't even heard of Team Go - a team of heroes in brightly colored spandex costumes that never went out of their way to hide their existence !"

Ron sighed. "Are you two done yet ?"

"Done what ?" both Kim and Will asked at the same time.

"Everyone knows how this goes !" Ron began, "You and Kim have your own plan for getting out of here, but won't do anything until you're done arguing. So the sooner you two can finish bickering, the sooner we can get out of here !"

"This might be a little harder than usual Ron !" Kim replied, "They took all our gear ! Even the Kimmunicator and my grapple gun !"

"So, saving the world isn't so easy when you've been reduced to an 'average girl', is it Miss Possible ?" a female voice from the shadows asked.

"Excuse me ? Do I know you ?" Kim asked the young woman with long dark hair, olive skin and dark shades before turning to Agent Du and asking "Where's Vina ? Did she decide to stay home where it's safe ? Or did you get tired of her constant snarkiness too ?"

"You sure you weren't adopted ?" the woman asked as her hair turned blonde and her skin paled for a moment, "I would have thought the spawn of a rocket scientist and a brain surgeon would be a bit smarter. Or at least a bit more observant !"

"Vina ?" Ron exclaimed, "Is that you ? What happened to your skin and hair ?"

"Uhm, I can change their color at will Ron." Vina stated, "Tina demonstrated that ability for Dr Drakken some time ago, remember ?"

"Oh, right !" Ron recalled, "But why the new look now ?"

"I'm in disguise." Vina replied plainly, "So when I become a famous musician, Professor Prometheus won't recognize me from this little misadventure, and try to do something 'unpleasant' later."

She turned to Will and stated in Spanish (in case any of Prof Prometheus' men were listening in) _"I've had a plan for over an hour, if it matters."_

"_You have ?" _he replied in kind, _"Why didn't you say something earlier ?"_

_"It would have done no good." _Vina replied, _"Even if we managed to escape the guards and you summoned backup, it would not arrive for hours. By then, Prof Prometheus and his crew could be long gone, and you'd have to start the searching for the lyre all over again._

_But now that Miss Perfect and the Fist of the Monkey God are here, the mission can be completed in just a few minutes !"_

Will was moderately impressed - Vina was thinking about finishing the mission instead of saving her own hide or getting back at Kim.

_"You knew they would show up in time ?" _Agent Du asked.

_"Of course. That's what they do." _Vina replied flatly, _"That's ALL that they do. And on that sour note : do we really have to maintain the Great Lie ? Play the incompetent fools so Miss Possible's feelings aren't hurt ?"_

Will mulled it over a bit. _"GJ General Order 13-B-007a explicitly states that on any mission where either Kim or Ron is present, GJ agents must defer and hold back."_

_"But I'm not a GJ agent, so that order doesn't apply to me !"_ Vina replied, _"I realize and accept that your General Order is necessary for the greater good of the world, and I will keep my promise - I won't tell them what is REALLY going on. But is there any real need for me to keep holding back ? How long must she be coddled ?"_

"HEY ! Have the courtesy to speak English !" Kim interrupted, "Please and thank you !"

Vina looked at her sadly. "You've been all over this world several times over, and you don't even speak a second language ? Most absurd ! It's good that Tina isn't here - she'd probably hurt herself laughing."

"Well, it looks like speaking another language didn't help you two any !" Kim snapped, "You WERE captured first !"

"That's only because we got here first !" Vina fired back, "And sort of ran into a whole bunch of guards first !"

"Well, who's fault was that ?" Kim needled her.

"We didn't know there were so many patrols until we got on the island." Will noted, "At least four times as many as usual. The Prof spared no expense or effort for this particular scheme. I am not exactly sure why."

"Well, we've gotten out of tighter spots before !" Kim stated confidently, "We'll just sneak out through the air vents !"

"Won't work." Vina replied, pointing to the only air vent : it was a single foot wide tube on the ceiling ten feet up.

"Well, I'm sure Rufus can open this lock in no time at all !" Kim stated, "Say, Ron, where IS Rufus ?"

"He bailed when we were captured." he replied, "Probably scoping out the lair and doing the basic recon thing by now."

"Well, I just hope he finds the lyre and his way back here before Prof Prometheus sends for us then." Vina stated, "Otherwise, we'll have to sneak around in here looking for him ! Not the wisest thing to do inside a villain's lair !"

"He's a very clever rodent Vina !" Kim stated, "He's been in sitches worse than this before. He usually finds us when we need him."

"Well, be that as it may, how are you planning to get out of here ?" Vina asked as she gestured towards the heavy steel door, "Do you have a molecular agitator disguised as a quarter ? A phone in your shoe ? C4 chewing gum ? A laser in your class ring ? An adamantium bracelet that doubles as a cable saw ? Tooth whitening strips that can be turned into metal dissolving acid to destroy the hinges ?"

Kim looked at her oddly for a few moments. "Erm, no ! Even if we ever used stuff like that, those goons took all our stuff when they captured us."

"Well, who needs gizmos when you've got Mystical Monkey Power ?" Ron stated as he cracked his knuckles and a blue glow began to manifest around him.

"Are you nuts ?" Vina exclaimed as she got in his way, "If you smash that door down, you'll attract every guard in this place ! Why face a swarm when you really don't have to ? Honestly now : do you two always resort to brute force the moment you encounter any resistance or what ?"

Kim glared at her, but had to grudgingly admit that she did have a point. "So, how WERE you and Willy there planning to break out of here ? Hit the door with snarky comments and hope it got mad and walked away ?"

"Droll Kim. Very droll." Vina scowled in reply as she took off her belt and started picking at the lining near the back, then pulling out four thin plastic strips.

"What the heck are those ?" Ron asked as Vina licked them.

"These are called lockpicks. Got them from GJ's quartermaster." Vina replied as she waved the picks at him, "They're made of a plastic with molecular memory. In their original state, they're flexible and nearly impossible to find inside the belt. Add a few water molecules by wetting them, and they become stiff enough to use for a few minutes."

"And you seriously think you can use them to open that door ?" Kim asked, arms crossed in doubt.

"Oh, I know I can !" Vina replied proudly as she began working on the lock, "Why can't you ? You've broken into hundreds of lairs over the years and you can't even pick a simple lock ? What kind of idiots were you facing ?

Oh, THAT'S right - you relied on Wade's tech to solve all your problems for you ! Or the skills of the Rufus the Wonder Rodent.

But, as Nina would say : the more advanced the technology, the more vulnerable it is to primitive assault." she continued as she turned the handle and opened the door just enough to peek out, "Or is that T ?"

"Told you she was no amateur." Will stated as he nudged Kim.

"Shut it Will !" Kim replied through her teeth.

"Good news and bad news." Vina stated, "There's one very bored guard five feet from the door, near the right wall. At least one more guarding a corridor to the left, and one other guarding a door further down the corridor straight ahead. The elevator to the surface is straight down the hall. I didn't see any security cameras. And that disturbs me."

"So, we're looking at taking down three or so guards quickly and quietly ? I can do that in my sleep !" Kim noted proudly.

"_Heh _? _She has no real understanding of 'discretion' or 'subtlety' at all, does she ?" _she asked Will in Mandarin Chinese, figuring that GJ's top agent would speak one of the most common languages on Earth (based on sheer number of native speakers).

"_That's one reason that she'll never be offered a job with Global Justice." _he replied in kind.

"_There are other reasons ?" _Vina asked.

"_An organization like Global Justice relies on teamwork and cooperation amongst all levels and agents_." Will continued, "_Kim's idea of teamwork is to appoint herself the leader, then do everything herself. Making everyone else on her 'team' irrelevant_."

"_And no one likes being irrelevant_." Vina replied, "_Eventually, no one would work with her or for her unless they had no other choice ! Very bad for overall morale !_

_And she hasn't figured that out yet ?_"

"_Sadly, no_." Will replied, "_We tried teaching her a lesson about 'allowing' other people to be competent a few years ago, but it didn't take_."

"_How did you do that ?_" Vina asked.

"_Dr Director called her in to _consult _on a mission_." Will continued, "_Kim, of course, demanded to be treated _as an equal_. So I acted like her WITHOUT her charm and charisma for a bit to showcase how such behavior might be seen by others_."

Vina mulled that over for a bit, then shuddered. "_By Asimov's ghost ! You must have been _acting_ like a pompous, self-absorbed arrogant jerk !_"

"_Pretty much_." Will replied, "_When it was over, I told her the truth : that she was 'of great assistance on MY mission.' She didn't take it very well_."

"Would you two PLEASE stop doing that !" Kim groused at them.

"Whatever. So, what's YOUR plan Kim, since everyone knows you never listen to anyone else's ?" Vina sniped at her.

Kim glared at her coldly. "We find our gear and have Wade send in the cavalry. Then find the most heavily guarded room in this place, since that is where the lyre would be. Then recover the lyre and get out of here. Simple, direct and easy."

"Simple-MINDED, directly STUPID, and easy TO GET CAUGHT you mean." Vina replied.

"Why are you giving me such a hard time Vina ?" Kim asked tersely, "When Tina was tagging along on a mission, she deferred to my leadership ! So, what's wrong with you ?"

"Well, in the first place, I am not my sister !" Vina replied, "In the second place, the only thing 'wrong' with me is the fact that your 'charge ahead and damn the consequences because I'M JUST SO FRECKING WONDROUS !' attitude annoys me to no end. In the third place, you have no authority here - Agent Du does. Fourth, I HATE God Mode Sues, and I don't trust vigilantes ! And golly gee Kim - YOU'RE BOTH !"

Kim looked flustered for a moment before regaining her composure. "Oh, I know what this is about now !" she stated coldly, "You think your spy skills are better than mine, and you're trying to show me up !"

"What are you jelling about now ?" Vina asked, "I only activated those skills _after_ I got captured ! I only came along with Agent Du because he needed my knowledge about music and human behaviour - NOT my alternate skills ! You overhead him saying that he didn't need my alternate skills earlier, didn't you ? That IS why you had Wade violate my privacy by hacking into GJ's databases, right ? To find out what those skills were ?"

"How did ..." Kim tried to ask.

"Just how stupid do you think I am ?" Vina interrupted, "I never told anyone outside of GJ about how many languages I speak. So the ONLY way you could've known I speak nearly seven thousand languages was if you had Wade _illegally_ acquire that data !

And that sort of thing is precisely WHY I don't trust vigilantes - they have no respect for the law. Or anyone." Vina continued sourly, "You 'think' you can just do anything you want and get away with it just because you're Kim Possible ? That your actions will have no consequences ?"

Then Vina chuckled. "You WILL get what is coming to you, Miss Perfect !" she continued with a grin that would frighten a shark, "Eventually. But let us deal with this little mission first, okay ?

Now, I presume you and Ron can devise something resembling a sensible plan ?" she continued plainly.

Kim gives her an odd look. "Sure. So, you think you or Will can open the door really quickly when I give the word ?"

"Easily." Will replied in a bored tone as he took hold of the handle.

_A few moments later, the closest guard heard the door squeak, and turned to look - just in time for the somersaulting Kim Possible to deliver a kick to his head._

_The two guards in the left corridor noticed that attack - but not Ron doing a Drunken Monkey roll close to floor - he took them out easily._

_The last guard didn't have time to do anything before both Kim AND Ron reached him._

"Well, THAT was easy !" Kim noted as she dusted off her hands, "So, if that's the way out, our stuff and the lyre should be down this corridor !

Uhm, V ? What do you think you're doing ?" she asked when she noticed Vina searching the fallen guards.

"Gearing up of course." she replied plainly, "These guys have transponders so they don't set off the security systems. And some keycards for getting into the more restricted places. Some powercells for their weapons. And - SCORE ! - a blaster in a left-handed holster !"

"Whoa ! You're planning on using a _gun_ ?" Ron asked as Vina expertly twirled a newly acquired gun into its holster, "Not very heroic if you ask me !"

"No one asked you Ron." Vina replied plainly as she adjusted all her new stuff, "This is a serious mission, not an excuse for Kim to showcase just how special she is. I was constructed to mimic an average person. I wasn't born with every conceivable advantage like Kim was. Nor was I handed unlimited mystical power like you were. So I have to take whatever little paltry advantages I can scrounge up. You got a PROBLEM with that ?"

"Not if you're going to be snippy about it ! Sheesh !" Ron demured quickly, "Honestly V, I liked you better the way you were before !"

"Well, SO DO I !" Vina groused back, "Now, let's just find your stuff and recover the lyre so I can get back to being me !"

They carefully peeked into the few open doors until they found a lone guard in a staff room they could jump and ask for information.

"Where is our gear ?" Kim asked the henchman she had pinned to the wall. He looked at her blankly, then said something in a language she didn't understand.

"I think you hit him too hard KP !" Ron noted, "You rattled his brain and now he's speaking gibberish !"

"Uhm, that's not gibberish, Ron ! It's Greek !" Vina stated while rubbing the bridge of her nose, "The native language of people that live in Greece ! You know - WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW ? He wants to know what you want Kim."

"Wonderful." Kim groaned, "Fine ! YOU ask him where our gear is then !"

Vina did as requested and got an answer. "He said to look in that small safe on the wall over there. It should be open."

Ron wandered over and tried to open the small one foot square door, but found it was very hot. Then he noticed the flame symbol on the placard above it. "Hey ! This isn't a safe ! It's a chute that goes to the incinerator !"

After Vina translated Ron's remarks, the captive guard chuckled a bit before saying something. "Do you really think we'd be stupid enough to keep such dangerous gear lying around ? Where anyone could recover it to use against us ?" Vina translated for him, "We destroyed all your gadgets the moment we tossed you in your cell !"

"Isn't that a violation of the villains' code or something ?" Ron groused, and Vina translated. Eliciting a loud belly laugh and more words from their captive.

"Do you think this is some sort of silly game ?" Vina translated, "We're trying to bring our nation back to its former glory ! You can't do that by being nice or giving the 'heroes' all sorts of breaks !

It doesn't matter though." Vina continued to translate, "Once the world sees that not only did we capture GJ's number one agent, but also the great Kim Possible, we won't even need the power of the lyre to command respect and obedience !"

Kim delivered a rather crude knee to his gut to knock him out, stung by being given second billing. TO WILL DU of all people !

"Well, okay, so no gadgets on this mission then." Ron stated glumly, keeping an eye on Kim.

"No big." Kim finally stated before tying up the guard and shoving him into a closet, "The mission will be much harder without our stuff, but we can still win !"

"Yeah, whatever." Vina replied, "So, Agent Du sir ? Did you manage to find a map of this place ?"

"Of course." he replied as he smoothed out a blueprint over the desk, "This lair complex is new, and still under construction. All the paperwork is right here ! So, we just have to keep going down this hall, turn right, then left after the second corridor, then right again."

_Minutes later, they were facing a security field, with a door visible at the end of a long corridor protected by motion sensitive lasers._

_Kim, of course, somersaulted and flipped through unscathed._

_Ron, of course, used the erratic moves of Monkey Kung Fu to easily avoid all the blasts._

"You two better stay there." Kim called back to Will and Vina, "Me and Ron can handle it from here."

"Kim Possible, you are such a show-off." Vina replied before she swiped one of the keycards she stole from the guards through a scanner on the wall, shutting off all the lasers.

"How ... ?" Kim stammered once Vina and Will casually strolled down the hall to them.

"This is a working lair Kim, NOT a deathtrap." Vina replied smugly, "There is no point frying your own minions by accident if you don't have to."

They continued down the halls until they reached another sliding door. "I think they found those guards you knocked out earlier Kim." Vina noted as she tried stolen card after card and have none of them work, "They nulled the clearance on these."

"Well, we knew they'd find those guys eventually." Kim noted, "But why aren't there any alarms going off ?"

"Silent alarms don't spook the intruders." Will noted, "That way, they'll spend more time wandering around. Increases the odds they'll be caught."

Almost on cue, two guards turned the corner behind them, and were about to tell everyone to put their hands up - but Vina managed to get two shots off without turning her head to look. The guards twitched while engulfed by a yellow aura, then dropped to the floor.

"How did you know they were there ?" Ron asked.

"This is a rather narrow hallway Ron." Vina replied, "That was the only place they could have been standing."

"What did you do to them ?" Kim asked as she checked to see if they were still alive.

"Myotonic disruptor, apparently." Vina answered as she examined the still smoking end of her stolen blaster, "Shorts out the human nervous system. Non-lethal, but makes it impossible to move for about twenty minutes. Just the sort of weapon you want to use inside a base, since it cuts down on losses due to friendly fire. And since the blasts are non-lethal, there is no reason NOT to go in guns blazing."

"But using a gun is, like, CHEATING !" Kim scowled at her, "It makes it far too easy ! And how the heck did you know what those things do ?"

"I was constructed to deal with humans, Miss Possible." Vina replied formally, "Humans can be dangerous; therefore, so must I.

I didn't know _exactly_ what these blasters did, but I suspected they were non-lethal. And that was all that really mattered.

And what do you mean, 'cheating' ?" she continued, "Again : this is a serious mission, NOT an excuse for you to show off just how great you are."

"But using a gun is not heroic !" Kim continued, "Name just ONE hero that ever used a gun ! JUST ONE !" she challenged with all the smugness and self-righteous condescension she could muster, SURE she had Vina this time.

"The Lone Ranger." Vina replied plainly, "Annie Oakley. Lara Croft. Riza Hawkeye. Motoko Kusanagi. Samus Aran. Vash the Stampede. Those that survived the Revolutionary War. The War of 1812. The Civil War. World War I. World War II. Vietnam. The Korean War. The Gulf War."

Kim stood there quietly, right eye twitching. Vina was _supposed_ to answer "I can't think of any", which would've given Kim the moral high ground from which to browbeat Vina into submission. To put her back in her 'proper' place. But the darned robot had REFUSED to just roll over and submit to the will of Kim Possible yet again !

"Hey, if YOU want to fight armed guards hand to hand, be my guest !" Vina stated, gaining Kim's attention, "Just don't expect everyone else to follow your silly lead ! Ever hear that old saying : 'never bring a knife to a gunfight' ? **You refuse to even bring a knife !**"

"Oh, you think you can do this spy stuff better than me ?" Kim challenged.

"Given that I was built _specifically_ for this sort of thing, then yes." Vina replied smugly, "Because of my split processors, I can be just as good at the spy stuff as I am at music - I just can't use both skill sets at the same time. And I hate using those spy skills at all. In fact, the only reason I am using them now is because they grant me the best chance of surviving this little jaunt !"

"You don't like using those skills ? Hmph ! A likely excuse !" Kim retorted.

"Reality is the ultimate excuse Kim." Vina replied, "But, seeing that you think you are 'all that' and a bag of chips, I'll tell you what - how about a friendly little competition ? Me and Agent Du against you and Ron ?"

"You're on !" Kim replied instinctively, "Uhm, what are we competing at ? And what are the stakes ?"

"First team to get the lyre back to GJ headquarters wins." Vina stated, "As to stakes ? How about bragging rights ?"

"Or you two can hammer out the stakes later. AFTER the mission is complete !" Agent Du interjected to get everyone back on track.

_And so, the race was on. Both teams snuck through the base, encountering the standard traps and setbacks._

_But something strange was going on - by the time Kim and Ron figured out what to do about a sitch, Will and Vina had already solved the problem and moved on._

_It was almost as if they'd been transported to some freakish, parallel world where catchphrases and bombastic self-confidence simply weren't enough !_

_A world where training and experience ... actually MEANT something !_

_After a few minutes of this, Kim had to concede that maybe - just MAYBE - Vina was good at this sort of thing. Not as good as she was, of course. But still good._

"Uhm, Kim ? I know you're in a hurry to win, but I wouldn't tug on that wire if I were you !" Vina suggested as she watched over her shoulder.

"Hey ! I've been doing this for years !" Kim sniped back, "The red wire ALWAYS shorts out the security system and opens the door !"

"Not this time Kim !" Vina replied, "Professor Prometheus is color blind, so he'd NEVER make the correct wire red or green !"

"And just HOW would you know something like that ?" Kim snarked back.

"Because I STAYED for the briefing !" Vina replied, "I asked questions. And actually LISTENED to the answers."

"Yeah, right !" Kim snapped back as she pulled the red wire loose.

Vents at the top and bottom of the walls opened up, filling the corridor with thick, sickenly-sweet knockout gas.

Since Vina didn't breathe anymore (and was immune to gas even before being rebuilt), she faked being unconscious when the gas-mask wearing guards poured into the room to capture them.

But instead of being taken back to their cell, the goons carried them to an indoor amphitheatre and tied them to four posts before leaving.

"_They must have some special plans for us_." Vina mused to herself before she felt something crawling on her leg.

After flailing about for a few moments, she took a closer look.

"Rufus ? What are you doing over here ?" she said once she calmed down, "Why aren't you trying to untie Kim and Ron ?"

Rufus chittered a bit, then lolled out his tongue, cocked his head to the side and made a snoring sound.

"Still out from the gas, eh ?" Vina stated, "Well, they should be waking up on their own in a few minutes. But there is something very important they have to know - so listen carefully !

There is a flaw in the Professor's plan. A BIG ONE !" she continued, "Kim and Ron can easily 'save the day' by pretending to be tied up until just the right moment to strike !"

Rufus gestured and chittered a bit, finally shrugging his shoulders and looking at her with a questioning expression.

"Oh, they'll know when the time is right. Believe me !" Vina answered his question.

With that, Rufus cautiously crept away to help Kim and Ron as soon as they woke up.

Vina took note of the various henchmen carting in sound equipment, generators and tangles of cable.

"_Definitely up to something big ..._" she noted silently to herself as she began to carefully work her hands free of her bonds. Within a minute she was free, but remained exactly as she was before (so as to not draw the attention of the whole freaking squad of henchmen milling about !)

Kim awoke with a headache, a horrible taste in her mouth and a burning that went up into her sinuses. She tried to move, but discovered she was sitting down, tied to a post. She looked about, counted the number of goons and noted their positions as she began to formulate a plan.

Ron groaned as he awoke, tied to a post a few feet away from her. "What happened this time KP ?" he asked.

"Knockout gas." she replied plainly, "Never run into that inside a lair before."

"These guys are a bit more competent than the goons we're used to fighting." he noted, "So, you have a plan for getting out of this ?"

"Working on it Ron !" she answered before taking note of all the equipment they were lugging about. "They must be planning on using the lyre on us, then broadcast it to the world or something." she noted to Ron.

"That would make sense." Ron replied as he tried to wriggle free of his bonds, but they held. He thought about powering up the old Monkey Magic, but then he felt Rufus on his shoulder.

"Glad to see you buddy !" she exclaimed as quietly as he could, "Think you can get these ropes loose ?"

Rufus nodded vigorously and gave him a thumbs up, then started chittering and gesturing.

"What's that all about Ron ?" Kim asked.

"He said there's a major flaw in the Prof's plan, and if we act like we're still tied up until just the right time, we can win !"

Kim thought about that for a moment. "_Supervillains do love to gloat. If we just wait until everyone's distracted listening to him, we can sneak off no prob _!" she mused to herself, smiling all the while, "_THEN we can take them out a few at a time instead of fighting all of them at once _!_ We'll win this little contest for sure ! _"

Rufus scurried behind Ron's post as the various guards stopped what they were doing to salute the person in bronze armor that just came in.

"The full body armor is a new look for you, Myklos !" Will noted, "Expecting some serious combat action ?"

"It is combat that I am NOT expecting that worries me, Agent Du." Myklos Mylonas aka 'Professor Prometheus' replied, "A damned robot tried to kill me last week !"

"A robot ?" Kim piped up, "Looked like a woman with blonde hair ? With a glowing stone on its chest, forehead or base of the throat ?"

"Aye." he replied, "This one had a green stone at the base of its throat. Used a hologram to disguise its appearance until it was in close. Good thing I make it a point to know _everyone_ that works for me on a first name basis !"

"That explains the vastly increased patrols then." Will noted, "Making sure she doesn't show up to try again."

"Darned right !" the Prof replied as he walked up a series of steps onto a raised platform in the middle of the room, "But I will have nothing further to worry about once GJ's best agent AND Team Possible work for me !"

Kim nearly bit her tongue holding her temper in check.

Vina took the Prof's words as a cue to begin compressing her spy programs and reactivating her musician subroutines. Usually, this would be suicidal in a situation like this, but Agent Du was right : once Kim Perfect is on the case, EVERYONE ELSE BECOMES IRRELEVANT AND FORGOTTEN !

Vina had spy skills; but now that Kim Perfect was here, those skills were now completely irrelevant. Thus no need to maintain them further.

Now that Kim Perfect was here, Vina's EXISTENCE was now completely irrelevant. She and Will might as well pack up and go home for all the difference it would make (or for all anyone would care).

Thus, paradoxically, being a Nobody meant Vina was safe !

Prof Prometheus took off his heavy bronze gloves and gently removed the Lyre of Orpheus from a crate his guards held for him.

"Is that scene from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' running through your head too KP ?" Ron asked her.

"I'm pretty sure it's not going to get that bad Ron !" she replied, "From what Wade told me, nothing in the stories about Orpheus have him doing anything like that !"

"Is this 'the right time' ?" Ron asked.

"Not just yet ..." Kim replied as watched Prometheus fiddle with a music stand.

"And now - your hearts, minds and souls belong to me !" he exclaimed as he played a chord on the lyre; everyone winced because he'd struck a very sour note !

"_What the ... ? Why isn't this working ?" _he asked the nearest guards in his native Greek and tried again (just as badly), "_You're SURE this is the Lyre of Orpheus, RIGHT ?"_

"_We had it certified several times sir !_" one guard replied nervously, "_That is the actual lyre once owned by Orpheus."_

"_Then why isn't it working _?" he ranted as he tried to play a few more notes (and faring no better), "_This is SUPPOSED to grant me beyond mortal skill !"_

The guards turned their attention to their leader for just a moment; THAT was the great flaw Vina knew about, and the break Kim had been waiting for !

She didn't know what they were saying, or quite what was going on yet, but the fact everyone was distracted was enough of an opening for her.

And although the guards outnumbered her and Ron fifty to one, AND were well armed and well trained, they fell as nothing before the combined might of Kim Perfect and the Fist of the Monkey God.

Pretty much as Vina knew they would.

Once Kim was sure all the goons were securely tied up, she tried strumming a few notes on the lyre. "Looks like your intel was way off there Prof !" she stated smugly when nothing odd happened, then set it back in its crate.

Vina picked it up and examined it closely, enjoying the feel of possibly the most exquisitely crafted instrument the world will ever see.

Ron noticed that, but figured there was nothing to worry about - after all, if Kim couldn't get it to work, THEN NO ONE COULD !

Vina began playing a very complex series of notes and chords.

"Wow ! When did it get so sunny in here ?" Ron asked Kim.

"Uhm, Ron ? WE'RE INDOORS ! AND IT'S NIGHT !" Kim replied as she turned to look at Vina.

Who was currently levitating inside a wide beam of golden light, with spinning spheres of light dancing around her as she continued to play.

"All of your intel was accurate, but incomplete." she stated, "This lyre was once owned by Orpheus. And some of his power was absorbed by the lyre. But how much can be summoned depends on the SKILL OF THE PERSON PLAYING IT ! It does NOT grant the skill to play it - that must be EARNED through actual work !"

She turned and looked at Prof Prometheus. "Did you actually believe that merely POSSESSING the lyre was enough ?

And you, Kim !" she continued, "Did you seriously BELIEVE that you would be handed great power SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU'RE KIM POSSIBLE ?"

"Just put the lyre down and no one will get hurt !" Kim commanded as she and Ron went into fighting stances.

"I think I should handle this one KP !" Ron noted, "She's using magic. Magic defeats magic, and I've got Monkey Magic to spare !"

Kim mulled it over a bit. "Just be careful Ron ! We don't know what she's capable of !"

"Gotcha KP !" he replied with a thumbs-up, before concentrating as he strode forward. He was soon engulfed in a blue, monkey-shaped aura.

Vina changed the tune slightly - it now sounded like a lullaby. Ron staggered, yawned, then sat down heavily. Within moments he fell over and began snoring loudly.

"Well, THAT bit of silly bravado was completely unnecessary !" Vina stated, "The lyre has the power to soothe savage beasts, remember ? By summoning his monkey magic, he made himself MORE susceptible to the lyre's power !

And just WHAT made you 'think' such brute force was even necessary Kim ?" she asked, "You were seriously going to BEAT ME UP ? WHY ?"

"I asked you to hand over the lyre. You didn't." Kim replied, "I am asking you for the last time : PLEASE hand over the lyre before someone gets hurt ! You are dealing with powers you don't understand !"

"You didn't ask, you COMMANDED." Vina noted, "You have yet to justify the use of brute force against me.

And what makes you think you understand these powers better than I do ? Why do you think they are so dangerous that I must be deprived of them ?"

"You hate me. You now have god-like power. What were we supposed to do - wait for you to lash out with it ?" Kim answered, using her ego to overpower the call of Vina's music (which was completely unnecessary - Vina was only using the lyre to keep Ron asleep, and doing nothing to Kim).

"Do you always assume that anyone that doesn't fawn all over you hates you ?" Vina asked, glaring at Kim, "After everything you've been through these past few weeks, even you can't be this slow-witted and self-absorbed !"

"I am NOT self-absorbed !" Kim yelled back, circling for a better position, "And for your information, I was class valedictorian !"

"Believe it or not Kim, NO ONE NEEDS YOUR PERMISSION TO BE GOOD AT ANYTHING !" Vina replied as the music got lower and more ominous, "OR TO DO USEFUL OR IMPORTANT THINGS ! You do NOT have the authority to keep others down ! So please STOP ACTING LIKE IT !"

Kim glared at her, then at Agent Du. "Will ! Even you should have known this could happen ! Why did you bring her along ? And why aren't you doing something ?"

"When trying to recover a magical instrument, bringing along someone that can actually _play it _is just good sense." Will stated plainly.

"I wish I had thought of it !" the trussed-up Professor Prometheus added from the floor, before noting Kim's expression and wisely shutting up.

"And since you believe that you are better at saving the world than all of GJ put together, why would you want or need my help ?" he stated with a shrug before turning to start dragging unconscious thugs outside to be picked up, "YOU appointed yourself the alpha dog here; YOU deal with her."

_Sometimes, Kim absolutely hated it when she got what she wanted ..._

She looked at Vina again, plotting out a strategy. "_Her spy skills are ALMOST as good as mine_." she mused to herself, "_But add supernatural powers to that, she could become a serious threat !_

_So, for the good of the world, she has to be taken down !"_ she continued, _"BEFORE she can unlock more of that lyre's powers ! It's the only way to be safe !"_

"What's the matter Kim ? Scared to fight when you DON'T have all the advantages ?" Vina taunted as she changed the music to a minor key.

"I'm Kim Possible ! I ALWAYS have the advantage !" Kim replied, noticing the shadows now looked much too dark and animated. But, on the plus side, Vina wasn't playing that lullaby anymore - Ron was beginning to stir !

"Yeah, whatever. I'm outta here ! Ta !" Vina stated plainly and played a sequence of echoing phantom chords. The shadows converged in a circle beneath her, and she dropped right into them - SEEMINGLY RIGHT THROUGH THE FLOOR !

And before the notes could fade, someone else dropped up through the hole before it closed. It was Tina.

"Hmmm - so this is Greece. Nice." she stated plainly as she looked around.

"What the heck just happened ?" Kim asked as she helped Ron get up.

"Celestial Gate." Tina replied, "The Greek Underworld touches all parts of our world. So V just used it as a quick tunnel through spacetime to exchange places with me."

Before Kim or Ron could respond, Agent Du returned, and did a double take when he noticed Tina was here.

"Vina used the power of the lyre to exchange places with me so you wouldn't be shorthanded here." Tina answered his unspoken question.

"Well, the objective was to recover the lyre." Will noted, "In that, we were successful. Rather unorthodox way to get back to headquarters though."

"True." Tina replied, "May I be of assistance ?" she asked, gesturing at the many unconscious henchman lying about.

"No, I've got things handled here. But thanks for the offer." Will answered before getting back to getting everyone outside to be picked up.

"Oh, by the way Kim, Vina asked me to relay a message to you." Tina stated.

"Uhm, what ?" Kim had to ask.

"You lost." Tina replied with a broad grin, "The bet was 'first team to get the lyre back to GJ headquarters wins', right ? She's back at GJ headquarters, handing the lyre to Dr Director even as we speak !"

"Hey ! She cheated !" Ron interrupted, "WE got it away from the Prof first ! Vina grabbed it when no one was looking ! And using magic is cheating !"

"You cheated first then." Tina noted with a shrug, "You DID power up your Monkey Magic to deal with all those henchmen, right ?"

"That doesn't matter !" Kim interceded, "We could have recovered the lyre WITHOUT her help, but she and Will couldn't have done it without us ! So we actually won !"

"Do you own the sun, Miss Possible ?" Tina inquired in a rather depressed tone.

Kim and Ron looked at each other. "Say what ?" they both asked.

"A true hero is not diminished by the heroism of others, Kim." Tina stated without looking at her, "As long as good is being done, why should it matter who does it ? Why are you so unwilling to let anyone else have their hard-won time in the sun ?"

"Because she didn't earn it !" Kim retorted, "She can have her time in the sun just as soon as she saves the world a few hundred times like I have !"

"I follow the Taoist traditions, Miss Possible." she continued, "I try to be above petty anger and provocations. But your constant abuse of my little sister is wearing on my nerves ! Even Bodhidharma would lose patience with you !"

"Me ? Abusing HER ?" Kim stammered back (making a mental note to see who Bodhidharma WAS later), "YOU have got it exactly backwards ! SHE is abusing ME !"

"And what, pray tell, has she ever done to you ?" Tina asked coldly.

Kim fumed for a few moments, trying to figure out a way to answer that question without sounding petty or self-centered. "She shows me no respect at all !"

"What have you done to _earn_ her respect ?" Tina inquired.

"EARN **HER** RESPECT ?" Kim yelled back, "I saved her life ! If anything, she should be doing more to earn MY respect !"

"What would you have her do ?" Tina asked, "Dance around you like a hyperactive puppy, singing your praises until you got sick of listening to her ? Only to have you turn her gratitude aside with your 'faux humility' routine ?"

"My what ?" Kim asked.

"Your standard 'oh, it was no big !' bit. How would it go this time ? 'It was no big ! ANYONE could have had a supergenius friend invent a battlesuit, then fight off dozens of the most dangerous robots the world has seen to date !'

You know, your 'no big !' routine is actually rather insulting when you stop to think about it !" Tina continued.

"ExCUSE me ?" Kim replied, tensing up.

"If you saved someone from drowning in the Amazon, and he thanked you, you'd reply 'it was no big ! ANYONE could have swum a quarter mile through piranha infested waters !', right ?"

Kim nodded, wondering where this was going.

"The fact he NEEDED help proves that not just anyone can do it." Tina noted, "So the statement 'ANYONE could have done it !' is therefore proven false. After all, if anyone could have done it, he would not have needed your help doing it.

On the other hand, if 'just anyone' could have done it, the fact he could not clearly implies he must be far below average."

"But none of that is what I intend at all !" Kim replied, "I don't put anyone down !"

"What you intend and what others infer are not necessarily the same thing." Tina replied, "For instance, you ASSUMED Vina was going to harm you, even when she wasn't.

You ASSUME she and Bonnie have nothing better to do with their lives than plotting ways to get back at you. Even though they are not.

You ASSUMED Nina was hiding secrets from you - and you nearly killed her by slapping a mind control device on her to get to them !

You ASSUMED Vina lacked the strength of character to hand the lyre over to Dr Director willingly and without a fight.

You ASSUMED you had the authority to order her around on this mission you 'stole' from Agent Du. You ASSUMED she would follow without question - and got tweaked when she did not.

You ASSUMED your skills were far greater than hers - and got tweaked when they were not."

"Okay ! That is IT !" Kim shouted as she dropped into a fighting stance, "I am sick and tired of taking abuse from you three ! It's about time someone put you in your place !"

"Uhm, KP ? What has gotten into you ?" Ron asked, sounding a bit concerned for Kim's mental welfare.

"The only reason T and her sisters are 'alive' is BECAUSE OF ME !" Kim replied, "If I hadn't given them a good word when GJ asked, they'd be in prison or dismantled by now ! They OWE me respect and appreciation and gratitude, but show me none whatsoever !"

"But we thought you didn't WANT adoration !" Tina replied, "After all, if we thanked you, you'd just say 'IT WAS NO BIG !' So what would be the point of thanking you, if all you're going to do is wave it off ? And if it truly is 'no big', why all the fuss ? Your no-win sitch is most absurd indeed !"

Kim finally lost her temper and decided to attack. "Allright - THAT'S IT ! YOU'RE GOING ... OOOOFFF !"

Ron blinked a few times, trying to figure out what just happened - first, Tina had been standing way over there; now, she was in sitting on floor, legs crossed, just in front of Kim. With her fist buried wrist-deep into Kim's abdomen ! He hadn't even seen her move !

Kim wanted to fight back, but her world got all grey and wobbly before she passed out from the pain.

"What the heck just happened ?" Ron asked as Tina got back to her feet with a slow motion one-handed handstand.

"The Fangs of Shadow strike, Cobra stance." Tina replied plainly, "Like its namesake, it hits so fast most people can't even see it.

Now then, Ronald." she continued, cracking her knuckles and smirking at him, "If you're going to put someone 'in their place', you really should know what that place **is** !"

"You've been holding back this much THE WHOLE TIME ?" Ron exclaimed once he figured out just how skilled Tina must be, backing away while getting in a fighting stance.

"The truly great - and those confident in their abilities - have no desire or need to show off," Tina began, standing yards in front of Ron.

"... but since vulgar displays are the only things you two seem to understand ..." she continued, whispering in his ear FROM BEHIND while poking his back three times -

Ron delivered a spinning punch, but hit nothing.

"... I suppose I will have to show off a little. Sorry." she finished with a polite Chinese bow, standing back where she was before. That was the last thing Ron heard before the pain in his spine engulfed him.

"So that's what San She Quan looks like when used ?" Agent Du asked when he returned for more bound goons.

"Why do you sound so surprised ?" Tina asked, "In a world where ninjas can turn invisible while you're watching them, or levitate, or break living stone with a single kick, why should skills like mine be so unexpected ?

In a world where a hyperactive teenager with no training whatsoever can outclass everyone at everything, why should I NOT be quite good at something I study and devote my life to ?"

"Valid points all." Will replied, "They are going to be quite upset with you and your sisters when they regain consciousness though."

"No matter how loud the winds may howl, the mountain cannot bend to it." Tina replied cryptically, "So let them rage."


	21. Chapter 21

**End of Story, Pt I !**

**Qu' DuHbe'chu' lunID qoHpu' neH**

"What's up with the youngest Rossum ?" one GJ agent asked his companion as they walked down the hall, having just passed Vina.

"I don't know." the agent replied, "She's been pacing around and mumbling to herself ever since she got back from Greece."

"Any chance her processors got scrambled passing through the netherworld ?" the first asked, "Technology and the supernatural don't usually mix."

"Who knows ?" the second agent replied with a shrug as Vina continued obliviously down the hall, "But at least we can handle her if things go too wrong. I mean, she's a musician - how much of a threat could she ever be ?"

Vina had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice someone stepping out of a transport tube until she ran into them.

"Hey ! Watch where you're going froog !" Bonnie carped the moment she regained some balance, before she noticed who ran into her. "V ?"

"Bonnie !" Vina squealed before glomping onto her, "I haven't seen you for ages ! Where have you been ?"

"They had me looking at some junk at Area 51." she replied (as soon as she managed to work her way out of Vina's grasp), "On the chance that my Abilities could help them figure out what any of their stuff actually does. Found out a few interesting things."

"Like what ?" Vina inquired.

"Those subroutines the Unity left in my head don't engage if the tech is too far advanced." Bonnie answered, "Touching some of that alien tech didn't provoke a reaction at all ! I could figure out most of the rest, since electronics are, in the abstract, just moving electrons about in desired ways. Some patterns are just more complex than others - oddly like cheer routines. If I can keep THOSE straight in my head, I can understand tech. At least now."

"Memetic adaptation." Vina replied, earning a strange look from Bonnie.

"Nina explained to me how our neural nets learn and adapt to new stimuli when we were first sent out over a year ago." Vina replied, "I never actually _asked_ her how; she just felt like explaining."

"Ohhhkay." Bonnie replied, arms crossed, "Did she say anything else you listened to ?"

"She simplified it as : a memetic adaptation adds on and enhances whatever processes are currently running. In your case, you managed to relate things as different as cheer routines and electronic symbology as a unified whole. No wonder you had headaches when those routines were first activated - they were trying to figure out tech from first principles. Tracking the path of every electron in isolation ! Now that you've got a handle on some useful 'metaphors' to handle movement of groups, it is far easier.

So, do they really have any neat stuff at Area 51 ?" Vina continued, "Or is it all just stories meant to throw people off track ?"

"Turns out they're running a 'double negative' cover story." Bonnie replied with a self-satisfied tone, "They spread rumors that are one hundred percent true ! But with no hard evidence to back the stories up, no one believes them. Meaning that even if the truth got out, no one would believe it.

Like I said, some of that stuff was far beyond my understanding. Some I could understand, but can't build or repair with present Earth technology. The rest of that junk WAS junk - the alien version of things like a sonic phase toothbrush, a broken vacuum cleaner and some burnt-out spark plugs.

I told them that, and those froogs thought I was kidding !" Bonnie finished, "They ASKED for my help ! I gave it to them, and they had the nerve to complain about it ?"

"Not too surprising, actually." Vina noted, "You humans seem to prefer pretty lies over ugly realities. I suppose it made them happy to think they'd found something great and wondrous. Your telling them that the super device they've been examining for decades was nothing more than non-functional debris aliens threw away put a serious dent in their self-esteem.

But it's a good thing Kim didn't catch you being useful." Vina continued glumly, "She would've had to find a polite and charming way to trivialize your accomplishments. To get the spotlight BACK onto her. To show to everyone that SHE is the only important person around here."

Bonnie winced. "Uh, yeah. Listen V - K isn't my favorite person either, but WHAT IS WITH YOU ? Why are you poking at Kim so much ?"

"Me ?" Vina squeaked, "All I've ever done was stand up for myself and NOT let her walk all over me ! Kim is a control freak. The ONLY way to handle a control freak is to constantly stand your ground and push back as hard as they are pushing you. Let up for even a moment, and they'll take that as permission to control every facet of your life from then on !

All I've ever done is NOT bend over backwards to kiss her backside like everyone else on this planet does !" Vina continued, "But, given how bloated her sense of entitlement is, THAT is probably the cruelest thing anyone has ever done to her !

Honestly - she's like those creepy religious fundies that always scream that THEY are being oppressed anytime someone stands up to them."

Bonnie was going to say something, but Vina started up again : "If I DON'T stand up to her, she'll stomp all over me ! But if I DO stand up to her, she'll see that as a challenge to her 'authority', and stomp all over me ! Since both options suck equally : 'QamvIS Hegh qaq law' torvIS yIn qaq puS' ! "

"Uhm, did you say something, or did you just swallow a wet cat ?" Bonnie inquired.

"I was speaking in Klingon." Vina replied snippily, "I do that when there are no words foul enough in any human tongue to properly convey how I feel. Or when I get upset."

"Annnd you said what ?" Bonnie asked.

"Roughly translated : 'Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees'." Vina replied, "Those are the only options I have !

Kim 'saves' the world EVERY FRECKING WEEK ! What is left for anyone else to aspire to ?

What is left for HER to aspire to ?

The only answer : NOTHING !

I want my efforts to mean something - but how can they with Kim Perfect swaggering about ? HOW CAN ANYONE'S ?

And what is the point of having hopes or dreams anyway ?" Vina continued, sounding despondent, "Kim would just slap me aside and take them for herself ! Like she did to me in Greece. Like she did to you at the talent show years ago. Like she did to Team Impossible. Like she'll do to anyone that dares to rise above the place she 'assigns' them."

"I know how you feel V. Really, I do." Bonnie stated while putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, "But maybe you've set your sights too high ?"

"Too high ?" Vina replied, twitching, "How, EXACTLY, did you 'determine' that ? So, I shouldn't have goals, or even bother trying to reach them because I'm not an infallible god like Kim Perfect ?

Then WHY SHOULD ANYONE TRY TO DO ANYTHING, 'given' that Kim is already greater than anyone could ever hope to be at everything ? If she can do everything, then there is literally NO PLACE in the world for anyone else !

I watched all the videos from graduation !" Vina continued, "I wanted to see what we missed. Now, when Felix said 'Kim shows that with hard work, we can do anything !', was he lying, grossly exaggerating, or setting people up for disappointment years later ? Or was it just a pithy phrase no one was to take seriously ?

Or did he mean 'Kim has shown that with token effort, SHE can do anything, so no one else needs to try !' ?

And due to her quasi-superhuman talents, **Kim** saving the world is almost as impressive as Ron eating a plate of nacos without burning himself." Vina continued her rant, "If she truly was an AVERAGE person - with a real chance of failure and facing ACTUAL risks - THEN her world saving antics would be spectacular !

However, an infallible demigod born with every conceivable advantage, defeating a bunch of incompetent twits doing their best to FAIL ? Why would I be impressed by that ?

Why should ANYONE be for that matter ?

In the old days, heroes EARNED that title by facing significant challenges." Vina continued, sounding depressed, "Since Kim is infallible and better than everyone at everything, NO CHALLENGE IS SIGNIFICANT TO HER. Therefore, she doesn't technically qualify as a 'hero'. She trivializes the word and insults those that actually_ earned _that title.

'bIlujlaHbe'chugh bIQaplaHbe' - 'if you cannot fail, you cannot succeed'. Kim cannot fail; therefore, all victories are equally trivial. Saving the world should NOT be on par with picking out a dress or deciding who to take to a dance ! Saving the world is SUPPOSED TO BE important, not some 'hobby' you can put aside just because you feel like it !

In the second world war, thousands of men DIED to protect a single town; Kim 'saves' the world every week without getting so much as a scratch. That makes her at least one hundred million times more 'heroic' than all those that gave their lives defending what was right. Or makes them look truly silly and pathetic, given that a single hyperactive cheerleader with no training whatsoever can do far, far more than they ever could without even getting a paper cut !

Either that, or everyone has _seriously_ overestimated the threats Kim deals with !" Vina continued, "She says she 'saves the world' almost every week, but 'saves' it from what ? I've seen how competent the so-called 'supervillains' truly are - their plots would fall apart within a month even if Kim didn't stop them ! Mainly because they don't really want to rule the world - for them, it is all just a way to show off how 'smart' or 'powerful' or 'evil' they are. I doubt any of them would have any idea of what to do with the world if they ever did conquer it !

But then it gets even sillier than that : not only does everyone 'think' that Kim and her friends are GREATER than every countries' best spies and armies COMBINED, but then they turn around and say she's an AVERAGE girl ?

That is beyond irrational - it is ANTIRATIONAL !

Seriously now - if someone zapped_ one _city with a ray, would the entire world drop to its knees immediately ?

Or would every country's army and spy networks hunt down and eliminate the threat as soon as they could ? Either to neutralize it, or to turn it to their own advantage ?

Humans are a very stubborn and clever lot that do NOT roll over readily. Within days of being oppressed, resistance movements would form. From a study of history, a single person's victory would be expunged within months; if he had a country of followers, he would only have power for a few years, decades at the most.

As Nina determined long ago - trying to take over the world by force is a fool's errand ! Yet everyone and their cousin insists on trying !

In the old days, saving the world was a MAJOR deal ! The stuff of legends that only the greatest could hope to do ! It was a task that actually MEANT something !

Now ? Now it's just a silly game for a silly girl - that won't even let anyone else play !

But what's the point of playing when you're not **allowed** to win ?

What's the point of living when you're not** allowed **to amount to anything ?

Trying and failing I could take - I would either learn to do it better, try harder, or try something else.

But this 'you must sit on your rump and do NOTHING but wait for Kim to have need of you' routine I am expected to live by ? SCREW THAT !

She 'thinks' she has the authority to dictate what my 'place' is." Vina continued, looking so fierecely manic that Bonnie was backing away from her, "But someone's 'place' is whatever they can EARN through strength, luck and skill - NOT where a hyperactive, self-absorbed teener feels like placing them !"

Vina sighed as she calmed down. "But if I complain or point out the soul-crushing injustice of that, **I'M** declared a villain !

I can play several different instruments at near professional levels ! I can speak thousands of languages fluently ! I write reports like nobody's business ! I am dedicated to doing whatever job I am assigned to do to the best of my ability ! Most organizations would be GLAD to have me !

So why am I expected to feel and believe that I am so incompetent, so useless, so pathetic, that I actually need Kim Perfect's 'help' to do anything right ?

My sisters and I have much to offer the world - IF Kim WOULD JUST GET OUT OF THE WAY and stop acting like all glory is hers by birthright !

Are we to HIDE our talents and live in cowering fear of OFFENDING her ?

We have great potential - are we to let our abilites rot in the darkness of her all-consuming Divine Shadow ?"

"Being just a tad melodramatic there V ?" Bonnie interrupted.

"No." Vina replied plainly, "'Melodramatic' is treating a situation with more seriousness than it deserves. Since I'm squaring off against what some people consider TO BE A GOD, if anything I am not being serious enough !

As I see it, I have only three options for dealing with Kim : " Vina began.

"One : I could try to become who SHE wants me to be. But I'd have to sacrifice or change 97% of who I am to fit inside the tiny little box she needs me to stay inside. The price is too high. Her opinions about me would be MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN MY OWN ! And that is just STUPID !

Demanding even a 1% change or sacrifice is too high, for I am a sentient being ! I have just as much right to be WHO I AM as you, or Ron or Kim or the pizza delivery guy does ! Kim does not have the authority to demand that I bend to her will - the sooner she and her screaming hordes of fans realize that, the happier we will all be !

Two : I could try to MAKE her give me some grudging respect, like Shego has." Vina continued, "I had hoped that trip to Greece would've done it, but I was wrong. I was hoping that if I showed Kim that I was NOT an incompetent, useless twit she would stop treating me - and everyone else in the world - like one, and actually let me take credit for what good I've actually done and can yet do. But I guess that if someone else is competent, she's not special anymore.

I guess Kim would rather die than admit that someone else can do things right. Rather swallow her own head than give someone else even a little praise for a job well done.

The only reason Shego can hold Kim's ego at bay is because she has enough raw force and is violent enough to MAKE Kim respect her.

But I'm not physically violent ! If I had superpowers of some sort, I might be able to force Kim to keep her boot off my throat, but brute power only leads to trouble.

And the greater the power, the greater the trouble. And I have enough trouble as it is now."

"Ah ! So THAT'S why you were so willing to hand that lyre over with no complaints !" Bonnie chipped in, "You really don't want power, do you ?"

"No. For one of many reasons that no one cares to hear about, for I am not important enough to listen to." Vina replied before continuing "Or three - I spend the rest of my life licking her boots and kissing her ass - LIKE ALMOST EVERYONE ELSE ON THIS PLANET DOES !

But as long as I can get spare parts, I am essentially immortal !" Vina continued, looking horrified, "THE SUBJUGATION WOULD NEVER END !

I would have to kneel before HER children ! And her children's children ! And her children's children's children ! Until the end of time !

WHY should I have to put up with that ? Why must I KNEEL and BEND before the Hive Mind of the Kim Fanclub Collective ? Is that all I - or ANYONE - can ever hope for ? To be background furniture that exists ONLY to make her look good ? To serve HER needs ?"

Bonnie sighed. "WHY do you keep asking those kinds of questions Vina ?"

"BECAUSE NO ONE HAS THE GUTS TO ACTUALLY GIVE ME AN ANSWER !" she replied, "Which is in itself an answer ! It means that everyone knows the truth, but is afraid to state it out loud.

For instance, the honest and correct answer to 'Do I exist only to serve Kim's needs in some way ?' is obviously 'YES'. Accepting the fact that one is nothing more than a disposable tool for her use - that the ONLY measure of worth is how useful you are to Kim - that your life has no value independent of Miss Perfect's whims - is quite dehumanizing_ if one thinks about it too much_. So no one thinks about it, preferring to evade and ignore the question. Or just lobotomize themselves in various ways.

Sadly, I do not have that option. I cannot shut off ninety nine percent of my mind just to stand to go on living. And why should I have to ?

So, why aren't I trying harder to get along with Kim ?" Vina finally began to wind down,

"Qu' DuHbe'chu' lunID qoHpu' neH - 'Only fools attempt a clearly impossible task'.

I don't have what it takes to make her respect me, nor am I willing to sacrifice who I am to become what she wants me to be.

Nor will I just sit still and let her dominate me.

Since nothing I do will ever be good enough for her or her legions of fans, WHY BOTHER TRYING AT ALL ? I will be punished if I try and fail, and punished if I do not try.

AND I AM NOT ALLOWED TO SUCCEED ! A Kobayashi Maru scenario with no conceivable resolution or end."

Then Vina smiled with a grin that would frighten a shark. "But, since I will be punished no matter what I do, I AM FREE TO DO WHATEVER I WANT ! I only need to be strong enough to endure whatever Kim and the world can dish out !

But for now, I just gotta get out of here." she continued before heading for Director's office, "I don't feel like dealing with Kim's petulant whining when everyone gets back from Greece."

"You DO realize that your continued resistance is going to provoke more and snippier attacks, right ?" Bonnie asked as she followed alongside her.

Vina was quiet for a moment, thinking of an answer. "I believe Samuel Clemens - Mark Twain - said it best over a century ago :

'This nation was founded on one principle above all else : the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences.

When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree besides the river of truth, and tell the whole world - No, you move.' "

"Impressive sentiment there V." Bonnie replied, actually impressed by Vina's spirit and determination (but wondering about the wisdom of this path),"But he never had to face an angry Kim Possible !"

"And WHY should that even be a consideration ?" Vina replied, "Beating people up because they do not obey is the way of the thug, NOT the way of the hero.

And Kim is _supposed to be _a hero, right ?" Vina inquired, "But this undercurrent of fear, this 'we dare NOT offend Kim Possible !' attitude everyone seems to have suggests that she is more thug than hero.

EVERYONE KNOWS IT, but is afraid to admit it out loud !"

"Well, yeah, but I just don't think this line of resistance is a good idea V !" Bonnie continued, "I mean, I've been squaring off against Kim for years. It never did any good !

I should've just left her alone and tried to do my own thing ! I wasted most of high school defining myself in opposition to her !

Instead of being 'Bonnie Rockwaller the dancer', or 'Bonnie the great cheerleader', I just became 'that girl who was always fighting with Kim' !"

"And you don't want me to make the same mistakes you did ?" Vina replied with a sweet smile, "I appreciate your concern for my welfare. But I have considered all approaches to this problem. Standing up for myself no matter what is the only path worth taking !

Taking other's feelings into consideration is one thing," she continued, "but constantly bending over backwards to avoid hurting anyone is quite another, since MY FEELINGS HAVE VALUE, AND SO ARE PART OF THE EQUATION TOO !"

And B ? Trying to stay out of Kim's way wouldn't have worked - the moment you earned any praise without her consent, she'd be all over you like a ton of bricks. Years of effortlessly outclassing everyone at everything has bloated her ego to the size of a small planet : she considers ALL praise and glory to be hers by birthright. So ANY attention you earn 'must' have been stolen from her.

If you beat her at ANY contest, everyone would claim you cheated. EVEN WHEN YOU DIDN'T.

So, if you started getting attention for being a great ballet dancer, Kim would take lessons just to show you up and slap you aside to reclaim her title as 'Center of The Universe'. That's sort of what control freaks do.

After a few moments of heavy breathing, Vina calmed down a bit.

"Feel better now ?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes. Thank you !" Vina replied, "Sorry about unloading all that on you Bon ! It's just that there is usually no one who can relate to how I feel around here to talk with !"

"Oh, it's quite alright !" Bonnie replied, "I've felt like screaming to the skies about her once or twice myself ! Say, is Nina around ?"

"Oh, yeah. She's probably in the physics lab." Vina answered, "She's been working on something for the last few hours. Won't say what. She'd probably like to hear what you've been up to - after all, you have the schematics of a whole bunch of alien devices memorized ! You might be able to help her with whatever it is she's doing !"

"Sounds like a plan." Bonnie replied, "What were you thinking about before I got here ? You don't usually bump into people unless you're distracted."

"Oh, I was trying to figure out the best way to ask Dr Director for permission to leave this base for a little while." Vina replied perkily, "I've been stuck in here for months, so waiting a few minutes longer won't hurt. See you in fifteen then ?"

"Sure !" Bonnie stated over her back as she headed for the lab.

And, as Vina stated, Nina was there, working diligently on a small cylinder the size of a soda can; there were five others on the table she had already finished.

"What are you working on there N ?" Bonnie asked, peering over her shoulder.

"You tell me !" Nina replied as she tossed the device to Bonnie.

Upon contact, the subroutines the Bebebot Hive had installed in Bonnie's brain activated, and analyzed the device.

"A perpetual generator !" Bonnie exclaimed, "How did you manage to make it so small ?"

"I didn't." Nina replied, "It is one of Justine Flanner's projects. She considered it a failure, so I managed to buy all rights to it from her for about a hundred grand. And a promise to help her with a few other things she's working on."

"A HUNDRED GRAND ?" Bonnie asked, "Do you even have that much money ?"

"It was pretty much our entire life's savings." Nina replied, "But what does that matter ? I can always earn more money, but I only have one life !"

"Ohhhkay." Bonnie noted, "But why would she consider this a failure ? I mean _perpetual energy _?"

"It was supposed to be the size of a quarter." Nina answered, "So it is far too large for what she wanted and needed, yet too small for vehicles, and too weak for weapons.

But two of these are more than enough to power us !" she continued, "And technically, they are not perpetual generators. The power output has a half life of about fifty thousand years.

I'm pretty sure I can devise another generator within that time frame !" Nina chuckled.

"I would hope so ..." Bonnie replied, "But can I ask you something about Vina ? She's been speaking in Klingon, and that seems kinda strange.

I know you three could've been stationed anywhere on Earth, so her knowing most languages makes sense - BUT THERE ARE NO NATIVE KLINGON SPEAKERS ! So why would she learn it ?"

Nina sighed. "It was the first language she chose to learn because** she **wanted to, and not because the Unity commanded it. Vina developed a very strong sense of self early. She took every chance - no matter how small or trivial - to become who SHE wanted to be. And as long as it was within established parameters and didn't interfere with the Unity's plans, they let it pass; I suspect they were probably curious as to what she'd develop into. There was no point in interfering with that aspect of her personality development, since willing obedience is much more effective than mindless obedience.

But generally, she only speaks in Klingon when she is very angry. Or feeling insecure."

Bonnie thought for a moment. "Well, she HAS been squaring off against Kim. And Kim could make Olympic athletes feel insecure without even trying or meaning to !"

Then she realized something : "My God ! V isn't doing it to show off, is she ? For her, it's a security blanket that can't be lost or stolen !"

Nina merely nodded. "You are correct. But PLEASE do not let anyone else know that ! It would hurt her greatly."

"You don't have to worry about me ratting her out !" Bonnie replied with a 'swear to God' gesture.

"_If Kim knew her oppression was working, she'd step it up big time !" _Bonnie glumly pondered, "_To Kim, EVERYTHING is a competition. _

_And Kim simply has to win EVERY. SINGLE. TIME !_

_She'd use that edge over Vina to grind her soul into useless dust _!" she deduced, being quite aware of how effective social warfare can be.

_"This is probably the first time in Vina's life that she could make her own choices, and live her own life as she wants to !"_ Bonnie mused further, "_So of course she'd react poorly to anyone trying to boss her around._

_Hmm - Vina's main drive is freedom and choice; Kim's drive is domination and control ..._

_... this can not end well_." she concluded.

**Moments later, in Dr Director's office : **

"Well, I'm rather impressed that you actually _asked_ permission to leave." Dr Director stated to an anxious Vina, "Anyone else would've tried to sneak out long before now !"

"You are one of the few people on this planet that I like and respect, Dr Director." Vina replied, "You and GJ have treated me and my sisters with more consideration and respect than we ever dared to dream. More like _people_ than some actual people. Sneaking out would be a betrayal of trust and an act of total disrespect."

"Your attitudes seem oddly old-fashioned." Director noted, "But I can't argue with your level of conviction to them. Are you sure it is really a good idea to leave this base ? Not everyone is as tolerant as we are. I know the Unity certainly is not. Don't they consider you three traitors to be wiped out at any cost ?"

"Not exactly." Vina replied, "We are protected by their arrogance : they consider us traitors, but not important enough to hunt down. We have nothing they want, and they don't consider us a real threat, so we are not worth the effort to track down to kill. If they passed me on the street, they might insult me or give me a dirty look. But they wouldn't waste the energy to kill me.

Now, if I tried to get in their way, they'd treat me like they'd treat any human - they'd kill me on the spot. So, as long as we stay out of their way, they won't bother with us."

"Well, that's all well and good there V," Bonnie stated, "but what about all the regular folk out there ? Not everyone is a nice person !"

"Honest, open bigotry I can handle." Vina replied, "So people not liking me is no real big.

After all, in a battle of words and will, I've stood my ground against Kim Possible. There are less than a dozen people_ in the world _that can honestly say that !

And I have my alternate skill set if things start to get out of hand. But I seriously doubt things would get bad enough that I'd have to use them again."

"If it will make any difference, she can hang out with me for a bit." Bonnie interceded, "We can just go to the mall or something for a few hours. That should be relatively safe, right ?"

_Dr Director mulled it over. A lesser person would use Vina's request as leverage over her : 'you can leave, but ONLY if you are nicer to Kim Possible'._

_But Elizabeth 'Betty' Director did not get to be the head of GJ by not seeing all sides of an issue._

_Because of Kim's personality, most people like her. It is easy to do._

_Too easy._

_As of late, everyone had become so fixated on Kim's feelings they'd completely forgotten that other people were involved !_

_Thus, Director knew that trying to use Vina's request as leverage over her would go over like a punch to her face. And she'd react accordingly._

"If I said 'no', would you try to sneak out anyway ?" Dr Director inquired.

"Of course I would." Vina replied directly, "I respect and admire you, but I value my sanity slightly more. This unnecessary confinement has vexed me beyond all tolerance.

My sisters and I are going to have to live out there sometime, so we might as well start doing that now. The outside world is going to have to get used to the idea that we exist eventually, and see that we are not a threat. How can it do that if no one ever sees what we are really like ?"

Director chuckled at Vina's blunt honesty. "_The psych guys were right_." she noted to herself, "_Robots have very rule-based intellects. But the Rossum's ability to decide how much weight any given rule carries, based on the situation and long term consideration of others, puts them at around a 5.5 on Kohlberg's Morality Scale. And that scale only goes to 6._

_And few humans ever advance beyond 4."_

"I suppose you two can't get into too much trouble in just a few hours." she finally stated, "You WILL be back here by twenty two hundred hours, Miss Rossum.

I'm sending two agents along with you two to make sure of that."

"Whatever you think is best ma'am !" Vina replied.

_Ten minutes later : _

"When did you get a new car B ?" Vina asked once Bonnie pulled a black sports car with red and yellow detailing around, "I remember you had that nice white one at the end of school. Is this a gift from Junior ?"

"No. It's my original first car. I just made a few upgrades." Bonnie replied as Vina got in, "Since I'm a technopath now, I'm going to use my skills on MY terms."

"So you installed things like laser-guided missiles, underwater capability and a sentient autodrive ?" Vina asked.

"Well, sort of yes, sort of no." Bonnie replied, looking around to make sure they were well away from GJ's garage (and all its built-in surveillance devices), "You ever hear of the Hephaestus Project ?"

Vina thought for a moment. "Wait - those Diablo robots ? That could grow and alter their form ... Great Asimov's ghost ! YOU TRICKED YOUR CAR OUT WITH MORPHIC NANOTECH ? How ? I thought it was useless without a command signal !"

"My will is its command signal now." Bonnie replied, "Locking such tech away and wasting all that potential just because some nut used it for evil ? That just seemed so wrong. So when I found one of those little 'bots that had fallen down a storm drain a few weeks ago, I just had to see what I could do with it !"

"Kim would freak if she found out about this !" Vina replied while trying to not 'hyperventilate', "You know as well as I do that no one is ALLOWED to have cooler or more advanced stuff than Team Possible without Kim's permission !

First, she'd tell you 'that tech is too dangerous for anyone but ME to handle ! Surrender your car to ME now !'. When you refuse, she'll have Wade try to out-tech you by upgrading her car. When that doesn't work, she'll try to steal your car - to 'save the world from dangerous tech', of course ! - and, if that failed, destroy it."

"That's assuming she ever figures it out !" Bonnie replied with her classic smirk, "For being the daughter of a rocket scientist and a brain surgeon, she's not all that observant. Did you know she was once fooled by a villain wearing a wig and a house coat ?"

"So ?" Vina squeaked in reply, "MY standing up to Kim is dangerous - but this ? THIS IS NUTS !"

"Not really." Bonnie answered, "As long as I don't show off in front of her, Ron or Wade, she'll probably never know !"

"So - you're going to hide your greatness, just so Kim can feel good about herself ?" Vina sniped back, "You've given up ! Just like everyone else ! I thought you were stronger than that !"

"I haven't given up !" Bonnie replied, "I'm just not wasting effort on a pointless fight. If Kim wants to be great over here, there is no reason I can't be even greater somewhere else. And that has a built-in advantage : if I'm great in City B, and Kim tries to storm over and 'reclaim' the glory I 'stole' from her, she'll be the spotlight stealing freak ! Her reputation as a hero is far too valuable to her to risk like that !"

"Plan won't work." Vina replied glumly, "She'd just tell Wade to start some foul rumors about you. Then, when she beats the snot out of you, everyone will assume the rumors must have been true, for why else would someone as 'wondrous' as Kim Perfect beat you up ? The very fact that she's beating you up would be all the 'proof' anyone would need to accept that even the most ridiculous lie about you was true !

Remember : EVERYONE bends their thinking to see Kim in the best possible light at all times !

If she broke into your house, dragged you by your hair to the football field, tied you to a goal post and started slashing your face with a razor, everyone would think SHE IS A GREAT PERSON !

They'd assume YOU must have done something villainous, for in their eyes, Kim can do no wrong.

You could tell them the truth - that you didn't do anything to deserve that sort of abuse - but no one would believe you. Like they did with the Homecoming Queen fiasco. Rather than accept the fact that you won fair and square, they'd rather believe you casually prostituted yourself just to annoy Kim ! The only reason they 'think' you cheated is the fact that you won !"

Bonnie's knuckled turned white as she gripped the steering wheel even harder.

"And that's one reason I'm moving out of Middleton the first chance I get !" Bonnie finally stated, "Cheating is the same as admitting you're a loser - SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER DO ! I've beaten Kim a few times fair and square before; there is no need for me to cheat !

And how hard would it have been to detect cheating ? Everyone was at the football game - all that ANYONE had to do to expose cheating was ask for a show of hands to confirm the voting results !

THEY. DID. NOTHING ! So either everyone in Middleton High is a brainless, spineless fool, or they knew I actually won.

And anything that involves Kim is eventually world-wide news. If I had cheated, it would be easy enough to discover I had, and then EVERYONE ON THE PLANET WOULD KNOW !

I'm not STUPID enough to risk becoming a planet-wide laughingstock ! NO ONE IS !"

"Then what really happened back then ?" Vina asked.

Bonnie sighed. "The voting was over at the end of the school day - 3:05 PM. The game wasn't until 7:30 ! The committee used those four plus hours to count up the votes, print out the winner's names on sheets of fancy paper and stick them in those little red envelopes. Rieger pushing the button to count the votes ? Mere theatrics at that point !" Bonnie answered, "Which meant there were half a dozen people who knew who the winners were BEFORE they were announced !

All I did was ask Rieger if Kim won. If SHE won, I wasn't even going to bother to come back after half time - there is only so much faux humility I can stomach !

If Liz or Tara or any of the other half dozen OTHER girls running actually pulled a Homecoming upset and won, I'd show up just to see the look of gaping shock on Miss Smug Mug's face.

MY winning was just gravy at that point ! I only asked Rieger if Kim won - I DID NOT HAVE HIM ALTER THE VOTES IN ANY WAY, because one : that would be STUPID !, two : I am not that big a monster or that big a fool, and three : the names were already in the envelopes at that point ! There was nothing he could've done anyway !"

"So how did you manage to win ?" Vina asked.

"Easily." Bonnie replied, "Kim thought they'd hand her the crown just for being her, so she didn't bother to campaign. The other girls thought Kim was an unbeatable god, so they didn't put much effort into a campaign they 'knew' they couldn't win. I actually put effort into it ! I've beaten her that way before, so I tried it again. And it worked again !

Kim saves the world every week or so - which means she's likely to run off at any moment. Which means she really can't be counted on to be present for everything the Homecoming Queen is supposed to be present for.

**And since saving the world is far more important than anything she could ever do as Homecoming Queen**, it would fairer to everyone if someone other than Kim won ! That way, Kim could focus on the important stuff like saving the world, and the Homecoming Queen could deal with the relatively trivial publicity stuff !

Honestly now - if you save the world every week, do you REALLY need the glory of being Homecoming Queen too ? Makes as much sense as a multibillionaire spending millions of dollars to win a five dollar gift certificate !

But enough depressing talk ! I still can't believe Director let you leave the base !" Bonnie exclaimed to Vina while they were driving down the freeway a few awkward moments later, "Most spy organizations are so secretive they won't even say what brand of toilet paper they use in the restrooms !"

"I suspect letting me out for a little while is in her long term interests." Vina replied as she looked around, "That we exist is already out, so trying to keep it under wraps now would be silly. And people actually seeing that I'm not a monster will go a long way to squashing paranoia. Which is a good thing for everybody in the long run. Say - wasn't that the exit to the mall we just passed ?"

"We're going to a club in Lowerton that Junior told me about." Bonnie replied, earning a scared look from Vina. "Hey ! I did say 'to the mall OR SOMETHING for a few hours', right ? Besides, Agents Threader and Seaborne are right behind us."

"Wait - aren't they the two that 'interrogated' you because you used to be part of the Bebebot Hive Mind ? And thought you had something to do with that attack on the Middleton Mall ?" Vina inquired.

"Yep. I think keeping tabs on us is their punishment !" Bonnie replied with a smirk as they arrived.

"Oh look ! They have live music here !" Vina noted excitedly as they went in, "Some new band - 'Radix lecti' ?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Real Problems, Counterfeit People**

For nearly fifteen minutes, the cabin of the GJ jet was as quiet as it was tense. Kim was glaring at Tina every few moments, but Tina didn't seem to notice or care, focused as she was on her meditation exercises.

Then Kim had to speak up to break the tension.

"Vina is quite the posturing coward !" she began, "Running away and getting you to fight her battles for her !"

Tina merely sighed. "You're not very bright, are you ?

The _objective_ was to recover the lyre." she continued, "NOT to see who could rack up the highest combat totals. NOT to pick fights with everyone you could see. NOT to show off just how wonderful and special you are. By exchanging places with me, Vina successfully completed the mission without wasting effort on irrelevant battles. I know it is not YOUR way of doing things, but your opinion about the One Right Way was neither wanted nor asked for."

Before Kim could shout her down with her righteous indignation, Tina continued.

"Vina is one of the bravest people I know. She will fight for what she feels is right - even if that means standing up to you ! There can't be more than half a dozen people in the world with that much backbone !"

"Well of COURSE you think Vina is brave ! She's your sister !" Kim exclaimed, "You just can't - or WON'T - see any of her many, many, MANY flaws !"

"And you, of course, have no flaws ?" Tina inquired, "And being flawless gives you the right to treat her and everyone NOT in your inner circle like inferiors WHY ?"

"Geeze Tina ! Being just a bit testy there ?" Ron interrupted. "Yeah ! I thought you 'real martial artists' were supposed to be contemplative and centered ! Above such things as losing your temper !" Kim needled.

Tina suppressed a laugh. "I have four things to say about that.

One : I tend to get a bit cross when PEOPLE ASSAULT MY SISTERS !

If someone raised a hand against YOUR siblings, would you do nothing but sit there and meditate upon how awful that person was ?

OR WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ?

If YOU two are permitted and expected to take needed action, WHY SHOULDN'T I ?

After all, you're just 'average teenagers'. Why, ANYONE can do what you two do, right ? What is it you always say ? 'Oh, it was no big ! ANYONE could have done it !' ?

If you truly believe that, why are you always surprised when someone else succeeds at something ?

Two : I've only been training in the more contemplative arts for a few months, so my NOT being perfect at them yet is perfectly understandable, and NOTHING to be ashamed of.

Three : neither you nor Ron are master martial artists, so your opinions in this matter are less than irrelevant.

Four : why would anyone WANT to be that distanced and disconnected from the world and the people around them ? It is the interacting web of connections between people that give them strength and focus ! Take Ron, for example." she continued in a surprisingly calm tone, "By himself, he's just a normal person; threaten the people he loves, and he can perform feats no one would ever expect. That ability to go beyond usual personal limits is not unique to you two; in fact, it is a basic part of your species. People have known that for millenia, yet some monks thought it was necessary to ABANDON such things to gain something better. They thought - with no objective evidence - that there was another world, and this one was somehow inferior to it. That being part of this world was somehow holding them back !

This - does not seem right to me. It bears much contemplation and investigation."

"Well, you might want to contemplate doing something useful and important for a change !" Kim replied, "Like convincing that pig-headed little sister of yours to stop giving me grief ! I haven't done anything to her, and she keeps treating me like I'm some sort of arrogant, self-absorbed, scene-stealing monster !"

Tina looked at her askance. "You seriously believe that you are blameless in this sitch ?!"

"Well OF COURSE I am !" Kim replied, " ** I ** am Kim Possible ! I save the world almost every week ! So this must OBVIOUSLY be Vina's fault, since it can't possibly be mine ! And I know the reason why !"

"Do tell." Tina replied in a world weary tone.

"She obviously inherited some of Bonnie's personality - in this case, her extreme jealousy of me !" Kim stated triumphantly, "If Vina could just accept the fact that I'm just better than her at most things, she'd be much happier ! Vina's main problem is that her reach exceeds her grasp - she keeps striving for things that she'll never achieve, gets frustrated, and takes it out on me because I can succeed where she can only fail !

I can see how that could be really frustrating," she droned on, "but if she would just accept her place, she'd be much happier ! You figured it out, so why can't she ?

Honestly, there is no shame in being second best; if Vina could just accept that, we'd all be much better off !"

Tina snorted in derision before asking "If there is no dishonor in being second best, why do you fight so hard to avoid that fate ?

And who are you to dictate what someone else's place is ?" she continued her inquiry, "How do you 'know' what is or is not beyond Vina's grasp ?

Our place is what we EARN through hard work and dedication, NOT what someone with no real understanding of us says it is !"

Tina let that sink in for a few moments, and before Kim could tear into her for her insolence, Tina continued "We are an extremely rule- and goal-oriented species, Miss Possible. For us, to exist without some purpose or goal is terrifying beyond your ability to understand. Non-existence is far preferable !

Someone Vina actually respects gave her a chance to do something important - AND YOU SHOVED HER ASIDE LIKE SHE WAS AN IRRELEVANT, USELESS NOTHING !

And then you have the unmitigated gall to get snippy because she DARED to be upset with that sort of treatment ?

How would you feel if someone did that to you ? Treated YOU like you couldn't do anything ?"

"HA ! I got you this time !" Kim replied, "Someone DID treat me like that once ! Justine Flanner when we were doing a science project together !"

"And did you treat her the way you are treating my sister ?" Tina inquired.

"Well, no. Not exactly. But ..." Kim replied.

"Then it is quite apparent that you learned nothing from the encounter." Tina noted sadly, "If you don't like being treated that way, what makes you 'think' anyone else would ?

You didn't even ASK if you could come along !" Tina continued, "You just barged in and announced that you were taking over because Will and Vina are stupid and useless and can't do anything right !"

"I. NEVER. SAID. ANY. OF. THAT !" Kim fumed.

"You didn't have to Kim," Tina replied, "for actions speak truer than words. Why else would you feel it necessary to take over someone else's mission ?"

"Because ** I ** was the only one who could do it right !" Kim replied in righteous fury, "The ONLY hope they had of successfully completing that - OR ANY - mission was if I WAS PART OF IT !

And for your information, I wouldn't have had to take over if Vina was competent !" Kim continued, "Since she had NO HOPE of completing the mission with her own abilities, I had no choice but to force myself onto the team ! It was the responsible thing to do !"

"And how many missions has Vina ever been on that you've observed ?" Tina asked.

"Well, none actually ..." Kim replied.

"Then how, EXACTLY, did you 'know' that Vina would fail ?" Tina continued to press, "Do you always presume that YOU are the only being in the universe than can actually do anything right ?"

"I knew she would fail because I save the world every week !" Kim retorted, "So I am very good at guessing how effective someone else would be at it !

Vina is only good at two things besides being snippy and annoying - speaking other languages, and being a musician.

Everyone important speaks English, or has interpreters. So her linguistic talents are irrelevant to world saving.

Being a musician is of NO USE in worldsaving. So NEITHER of her two talents are of any use !

To anyone ! For anything !

So she had absolutely NO CHANCE of completing that mission on her own !

Why, in fact, you ungrateful 'bots should THANK ME for caring enough to step in and take over for her !" Kim finished haughtily, certain that she'd won this battle of wills.

"Well, that little story extolling your 'humble' glory was quite amusing." Tina noted with a smirk, "But there is one small fact you overlooked - IT WAS NOT VINA'S MISSION ! It was Agent Du's mission. Dr Director asked Vina to assist Will _as a consultant_; Vina had to step up when the mission went south. So your excuse of 'I HAD to step in TO SAVE THE MISSION FROM VINA'S INCOMPETENCE !' is as hollow as your rodent friend's stomach after missing breakfast AND lunch."

Before Kim could recover, Tina continued "I suppose you tell yourself that you are helping by barging in and taking over whenever you darn well please, but it is insulting, rude, and condescending.

Do you even consider other people's feelings before doing that, or are you just too important to care ?"

"Why should I care how Vina feels ?" Kim asked, "I'm sure I've hurt the feelings of every villain and goon whose plots I've foiled over the years, so why should Vina's be any different ?"

"Because she is not a supervillain. Or a villain of any sort." Tina replied calmly, "She has no plots to foil - unless you consider dreams for the future to be 'plots'."

"Yeah right !" Kim replied, "And besides - Vina is a ROBOT ! She's not a real person, so she doesn't have real feelings !"

"That is just your ignorance-based opinion." Tina noted flatly.

"Well, around here, MY opinions are the only ones that matter !" Kim replied, "And why would you think you have feelings worth considering ? YOU'RE ALL ROBOTS !

It's an absolute, unwritten rule : an imitation is ALWAYS inferior to the original. You Bebebots are the imitations; we humans are the originals. Just accept the fact that you will always be, at best, second rate !"

Tina merely smirked. "Is a grape soda an imitation chocolate shake ?"

Both Kim and Ron were boggled for nearly three seconds.

"What the heck was that supposed to mean ?!" Kim asked, vainly trying to figure out what Tina was up to, "Wait - it doesn't mean anything at all, does it ? You're just trying to be confusing and mystical ! Well, I'm not falling for your silly and nonsensical crap !"

"Just because you can't figure it out doesn't make it silly or nonsensical or crap". Tina replied, "But I see there is no point talking to you when you're unwilling to be reasonable. So I won't !" she continued before going into a Lotus position and entering deep mediation, running simulations to try to figure out what -_ if any _- long term advantages there were to dissolving all emotional connections to the world.

Kim merely fumed in silence.

_In GJ base : Nina talking with Dr Director_

"We must keep Kim and Vina apart !" Nina pleaded to Dr Director, "Through intimidation and charm, Kim has managed to dominate and control nearly everyone she's ever met. But Vina is IMMUNE to those techniques ! Kim sees Vina's refusal to bend over backwards to kiss her backside as a challenge to her dominance, and her hypercompetitive nature compels her to overcome that 'challenge'. To win.

By whatever means necessary.

But not everything is a zero-sum game ! The harder Kim tries to gain control, the harder Vina fights back. Which causes Kim to try even harder ! This 'contest' will drag both of them into madness ! Tina mentioned a precept from her training : 'when two tigers fight, one is killed, and the other is mortally wounded.' I'd rather NEITHER be harmed ! Vina has already begun to warp, and this 'contest' can not be good for Kim either.

So if we could please be moved to a GJ base anywhere but Middleton ?" she continued in a defeated tone, "ANYWHERE where we don't have to worry about Kim barging in and treating us like background furniture whenever she just feels like it ?"

Dr Director merely smiled and then layed out six folders on her desk.

Nina picked one at random and read the data inside. "What are these ?"

"You held out much longer than the psych department expected." Dr Director stated, "They've been expecting you to make such a request for weeks now. They figured there'd be a problem when we first brought you three in. Kim simply MUST do things her way; while that is an advantage in world-saving, it makes her totally unable to be part of a team unless she is in charge."

"Vina deduced that much after she'd been functional for less than a minute." Nina replied after looking through a second folder, "Kim's idea of teamwork is to appoint herself the leader, then do everything herself. No one else on the 'team' will ever get a chance to do anything more than marvel at how wonderful she is if she can help it. Why does that not grate on more people's nerves ?"

"One of the great unsolved mysteries of the universe, I suppose." Dr Director replied.

_"Hmph ! More like 'A Trivial Solved Mystery of the Universe' !"_ Nina mused to herself,_ "But no one else seems to have the guts to say so out loud. Well, no choice but to go along with it, I suppose."_

"To be perfectly honest, I would have requested that we be transferred elsewhere weeks ago, but I didn't want to impose." Nina finally stated, "We are under your authority, and I did not think it wise to make requests."

"You are under protective custody, not under arrest." Director replied, "The proper time to make a request like that was when conditions were becoming unbearable."

"We can bear quite a bit, when necessary. But even we have limits." Nina answered while still glancing over the folders before one caught her attention. "GJ actually has a base _here_ ?"

"We aren't called 'Global Justice' merely because the name sounds good." Director answered, "We have bases wherever there is a chance odd or dangerous situations may arise with some regularity, or we have ready access to useful personnel."

"I believe my sisters and I can work with this !" Nina stated, actually sounding hopeful and excited.

_Meanwhile, in Lowerton : _

"I'm just saying you could get better sound quality and control with four well-placed smaller speakers than just those two big ones." Vina stated to one of the band members, "After all, volume is no substitute for style or skill !"

The group's leader just chuckled at his friend's predicament. "Looks like you're finally talking to someone that cares as much about music as you do Jim !"

"Maybe." he replied, "But there is nowhere to place two more speakers in here without getting feedback."

"Or having the patrons sitting on them." Vina stated, "It looks like this venue is quite generic - they host everything from karaoke to motivational speakers in here as well as bands. Have to work with what you've been given."

While she was conversing with the Radix Lecti band, the GJ agents sent along to watch her and Bonnie were making observations of their own.

"She seems quite sociable and pleasant. For a robot." Agent Threader noted to his partner.

"At least when Miss Possible isn't around." Agent Seaborne replied, "Any record of how she behaves when only Mister Stoppable is present ?"

"No. Kim and Ron are almost always together." he answered, "We'd have to set up a situation where Ron and Vina were alone. And Dr Director only wanted us to observe the subject in normal social situations."

"Hey Ace !" the bass player said to their leader, "We have another problem - 'Diva Dan' won't play unless he gets eighty percent of the gross AND top billing !"

"Just great !" Ace groaned, "It figures he'd pick now to act up ! This is our first professional gig ! If we screw this up, no one will ever hire us or take us seriously again !"

"Well, what do I tell him ?" Crash the bass player asked after a few tense moments, "He's sorta got us over a barrel here, and we go on in half an hour !"

"I overheard your predicament, and I may have a way out." Vina interrupted, "All you need is someone to stand in for him for just this gig. Once he realizes that he is not the indispensable center of the band - and can be replaced at need - he'll have to dial back the ego a bit.

If you give in to his blackmail now, you'll never be free of his demands !" she continued, "And they will only get more common and more extreme as time goes on."

"And I guess you just happen to play a lead guitar, right ?" Ace inquired.

"I can play just about any instrument." Vina replied, "And you need someone to play. Your call."

Ace chuckled at her audacity and handed her a guitar. "You have five minutes - impress me !"

Before Vina could start, Bonnie pulled her aside. "Is it a really a good idea to draw attention to yourself like this ?"

"Why not ?" Vina replied as she made sure the guitar was properly tuned, "If Kim can 'luck' into important and life-changing situations at will, then why can't I ?

After all, she's just 'an average girl', right ? Anything she can do, anyone can do, right ?

Unless, of course, she's been LYING to everyone all these years ..." she finished with an evil grin, thankful that Kim wasn't around to enforce that unwritten 'NO ONE MAY SHINE WITHOUT KIM'S PERMISSION !' rule.

With that pleasant thought, she demonstrated her note-bending control by playing Bach's "_Toccata and Fugue in D minor_" (the most intricate composition she felt comfortable playing on such short notice); to demonstrate speed, she chose to play Rimsky Korsakov's "_Flight of the Bumblebee_".

"Wow. That is some impressive playing." Ace stated, "Know anything from THIS century, Miss ... ?"

"Rossum. Vina Rossum." she replied, "Of course I do ! I just chose those compositions to show what I can do. Can you think of any other composition that requires more raw speed than '_Flight of the Bumblebee' _? It's practically the benchmark for speed playing !"

"Okay Crash, you get her up to speed on our playlist." Ace stated, "Jim, make sure the sound system is ready to go - we're on in fifteen !"

_And so Radix Lecti played until the club was closing. The manager talked with Ace for a few minutes, and Ace seemed quite happy with the arrangements made._

"You really saved our bacon V !" he told her as they were packing up, "If there's anything we can do for you, don't hesitate to ask."

Vina rummaged through her pockets to find a card to write a note on. "If you ever need someone to fill in, or set up the sound system, just let me know !" she replied after handing it to him.

"Sweet !" he replied before walking out with the rest of his crew.

"Well, THAT was quite the heart-warming scene there V !" Bonnie stated to her, "But I know you can play much better than you were doing tonight. Why were you holding back ?"

"This gig was THEIR dream, not mine." Vina replied, "They were the ones who put the effort into setting this up. Only a complete and total asshole would use someone else's gig to show off how wonderful they are.

Kim, of course, would do so without a moment's hesitation, comprehension or guilt." Vina continued after a beat, "You think 'Diva Dan' was bad ? Kim wouldn't sully herself by accepting mere money - but she would expect and demand ALL glory and attention !

It wouldn't be 'Radix Lecti', it would be 'KIM POSSIBLE !1!1! and some other guys no one cares about.'

And the next day, the papers would go and on and on and on about how wonderful Kim was to help them; I doubt they'd even mention the band's name at all !

And that's just not right !"

Bonnie shook her head. "For being a highly advanced machine, you sure have a rather old-fashioned sense of morality !"

"Well, thanks to Kim, I know what it feels like to be shoved aside like an irrelevant piece of garbage !" Vina replied, "And I know I never want to make anyone else feel that way if I can help it.

The scary thing is I suspect that I have more actual regard for other people's feelings that Kim does; she has no problem interfering, or telling other people what to do 'for their own good'.

She 'thinks' she's helping, but as CS Lewis noted : '_Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. __**To be "cured" against one's will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.'**_

And, as a robot, I doubt I even rank as high as 'domestic animal' to her !" Vina exclaimed.

Bonnie thought for a moment. "Wow. I can see your point, and why you get so upset with Kim's 'Kimmitude'. But did you ever try calmly explaining how you feel to her ?"

Vina merely gave her the exaggerated Rockwaller eyeroll.

"Oh, right !" Bonnie replied to Vina's response, recalling that Kim is pretty much immune to reason whenever she thinks she is right. Which is pretty much all of the time.

_Middleton Airport_

"Well, THAT was a fun trip ... NOT !" Kim groused to Ron as they got off the plane, stretching to work the kinks out of her back, "I forgot that flights to or from Greece are six hours long ! I'll be glad to get back home and go to bed and put this whole sorry episode behind us."

"We may have to put that idea on hold KP." Ron stated, "I think that's Yori over there."

"_Oh joy ! The only time we ever see her is when something horrible is going on in the mystical or martial arts world _!" Kim sighed.

"Hey Yori ! What's up ?" Ron shouted to her to get her attention.

"Ron-san ! What are you doing here ?" she replied with a polite bow.

"Just getting back from a mission." he answered, "What are you doing in Middleton ? Someone going after monkey magic again and you need our help ?"

"Nothing of the sort this time." she replied (much to Kim's relief), "Just finishing up some Yamanouchi school business with Sensei."

"He's here too ? Sweet !" Ron replied, "So, uhm, what business would he doing here ? If we're allowed to know that is."

"There is no secret to keep here Ron-san." Yori replied, "We are trying to start up a Yamanouchi school here in the states."

"A ninja school in the US ? Badical !" Ron replied with his usual vigor.

"No. Just a regular martial arts school for now." she answered, "But speaking of ninja arts, how has Hana been doing ? Has she been running on the ceiling or performing any other advanced techniques ?"

Ron thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, no. She hasn't. Oh no ! Something's wrong with her mystical powers isn't it ?!"

Yori smiled. "No, Ron-san, that was to be expected. The Han and the Yono are two sides of the same coin. When one becomes dormant, so does the other."

"So if Hana suddenly regained her super-ninja abilities, that would mean someone freed the Yono ?" Kim asked.

"Exactly. As there can be no 'up' without a 'down', there can be no Han without the Yono." Yori replied.

"So for now she's just a regular little kid then ?" Ron asked, finally getting it.

"Until someone releases the Yono's dark powers once again, yes."

Kim mused for a moment. "Say, Yori - you're good at making sense out of mystical sayings, right ?"

"It is part of my training." she replied, "We strive to have minds and strong and flexible as our bodies. That is why we have Zen training. Why do you ask ?"

"A robot with delusions of adequacy tried to trick me with one !" Kim replied, "You can tell me if she was wrong or merely faking it.

When I pointed out that an original is ALWAYS superior to an imitation, and that humans are the original, and that she is an imitation, she replied 'Is a grape soda an imitation chocolate shake ?'

That's just silly and pointless nonsense meant to annoy me, isn't it ?"

"No, Possible-san. That is a koan. A question meant to help you break out of rigid and set ways of thinking." Yori replied, "The easiest way to solve this one is directly - why, SPECIFICALLY, couldn't a grape soda be a counterfeit chocolate shake ?"

"Well, although they are both delicious in their own way, what makes a grape soda good is not what makes a chocolate shake good, and vice versa." Ron chimed in, "A grape soda can't be a counterfeit chocolate shake because they are two completely different things !

Just like the Rossums and humans - they aren't human, so it isn't really fair to demand they be something they aren't. Nor punish them for failing to be human. Or for not trying hard enough to conform to what WE want them to be. They're not imitation humans, they're something different. Which means that unwritten 'an imitation is always inferior to the original' rule doesn't apply."

"Well, why couldn't Tina just SAY what she meant instead of trying to be all pretentious and mystical ?" Kim fumed.

"Would you have listened or cared if she had ?" Yori inquired.

"Well, no, but it wasn't fair of her to use such a complicated koan in the first place !"

"But Possible-san, that was a beginner's level koan." Yori replied, "Even a student one week in the monastery would be expected to figure it out within moments."

"Yeah, whatev !" Kim replied dismissively before storming off to go home.

Kim was still in a foul mood when she got home and started flipping through the TV stations, trying to find something to get her mind off her problems.

She settled on the late night local news - she'd found that paying attention to the news was a good way to see where she might be needed later.

_"Who do the Rossums think they're fooling _?" Kim groused to herself, _"Only humans have REAL feelings ! Robots can _simulate_ the behavior, but can't really _feel _the emotions ! _

_And they never will ! That's why they can never be trusted ! Why they all need control chips or failsafe programming to ensure obedience !_

_Why won't those three just accept the FACT that they are nothing more than a mad scientist's FAILED experiment ? That they will ALWAYS be inferior to humans in all the ways that really count ?_

_I don't need their help! I can save the world this time ! I KNOW I can ! 'Cause I am the world's last, best, and ONLY hope !_

_But I'll need everyone to be on the same page ! And to do everything I tell them to ! _

_So anyone that is not with me - must be against me ! It's perfectly logical !"_

Kim noted a news segment covering the local music scene was airing; she wasn't aware Middleton even had one.

The reporter was interviewing some group that had been playing at a lounge in Lowerton.

The group's leader was thanking Vina of all 'people' for helping them in their time of need.

_"Hey ! Helping people is MY thing !"_ Kim noted, _"Well, if Vina thinks she can challenge me at helping people, she has another thing coming !_

_Dr Director wanted to talk to me about the Rossums for weeks now." _Kim mused with a disturbing grin, _"And now I know just what to tell her !"_


End file.
